Moonlit days
by Mikataiyou
Summary: When a troubled trainer is forced to return to her hometown in Johto, she finds out that the tragedy that made her leave in the first place did not end as she thought it did. The ending has yet to come, and it's up to her whether it'll be happy or sad.
1. Prologue: Sunset

**Disclaimer **

Because this is my first fic (ever), I'm going to go with the "you can never be to careful" theory, and mention every little thing that crosses my mind. So no-one can say I never mentioned them. I don't see why anyone would try, but I'm still siding the "you can never be too careful".

I'll start with the obvious. I by all means do not own Pokémon, the world the story takes place in, the original Ecruteak legend or the original game characters whom mine are based on.

However, I own the occasional fake pokémon, the modified version of the legend, and the story itself. Also, I own the original characters in the story, including most of the ones based on the official ones, due to them being too different from them to count as a direct base. This is mainly about the kimono girls, more Tamao than the rest. I wouldn't like the idea of my originals used anywhere else, but then again, I doubt anyone wishes to do that.

Then there's the artwork (yes, I've done artwork to the story, even though it can't be found here). I would definitely not want to see it anywhere without credit. If, for example, the names of the characters in the character sheets would be changed and used in a different story, I would get especially displeased. And that'd be no good to anyone.

About the story itself: I know the name isn't that good. The original title was "Gekkou no mononoke" (yes, Japanese), but I think the translation sounds weird as a title ("The beast in the moonlight"). So I ended up doing a lot of research of the moon, and out of all the bad names this was the best.

As mentioned, this is my first story, and it advances quite slowly. It might be hard to understand and follow, so reading it requires patience. Criticism and tips would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

Oh, and I had to change some of the ages of the characters based on game characters. I made several of them younger (there's a reason behind it, but I might reveal something while explaining).

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**Prologue: Sunset**

Screams. Rising smoke. Tears fading away within the heat. Fear, sorrow, and most of all, despair.

No matter where you let your eyes look, all you could see was someone crying, screaming or frozen by panic. All you ears could hear were sounds of sorrow, fear or despair. Even if you closed your eyes and stopped listening, you'd still feel the pressuring heat, and the atmosphere of pure terror. There was no escape of it, it was not a nightmare; it was really happening.

Yes. This was the scenery of the horrendous fire of the Ecruteak Dance Theatre, the one that would make people shiver years after it happened. What had just a while ago been a fabulous wooden theatre, holding the stage where the beautiful Kimono girls, famous for their elegance and skills with pokemon, would attract people all over the world to see their performance, was now a rumbling base of a fire so enormous it could have burned down a whole forest.

The whole city was in chaos. Every person able to move was to help. Every pokemon with the power to manipulate water was to do whatever it could to put out the fire. But even though so many were putting all their effort in saving the theatre, and possibly the whole town, it seemed hopeless. The people screaming and panicking around the theatre were no help either, and instead ended up slowing down some of the rescuers. No-one was in charge, and everyone worked on their own, confused, without a clue whether they were really helping or just in the way. Chaos. A total chaos.

In the middle of this all, a slick and elegant, black furred pokemon ran as fast as he could, gazing through the crowd, searching. The yellow rings on his ears and tail seemed to blend with the flames as he ran through wherever he could, not caring if a spark or a small flame would find it's way to that shiny, black fur. That pokemon, an Umbreon known to be owned by one of the kimono girls, seemed to be the one most afraid of everyone in the city.

As the Umbreon passed different people, he grew more and more frustrated. As he passed two black haired girls, one of them tried to catch him, calling his name, but he evaded her, ready to bite of she'd manage to catch him. The Espeon who had been running by the girl tried to catch Umbreon with her psychic powers, but failed miserably, due to Umbreon, as a dark type, being immune to that kind of powers. Both of the girls, the Espeon, and a Flareon near the other girl shouted after Umbreon, but he didn't care. He still hadn't found what he had been looking for.

As he continued his way, he passed a Vaporeon trying to put out the fire. He went a little further away, and ignored the scared shout of another black haired girl nearby, and glared at the Vaporeon to make sure she wouldn't follow him.

He was about to calm down a little, seeing that so many of the sisters were all out and safe, but that was when he heard a desperate howl from ahead of him. In the instant, Umbreon could see a Jolteon trying to hold back a long, yet again black haired girl, trying to head towards the flaming building. Most alarming, but it wasn't until Umbreon heard the words of that girl that he understood that his worst fears had come true.

" She's still in there! Let me go! She – my sister is still in the theatre!" she screamed, so that the words echoed in the air, reaching everyone around, spreading the terror, even to the men who had joined the electric pokemon trying to keep the desperate girl from running into the flames.

It was the terror that completely erased all fear binding the Umbreon desperately searching for his trainer. The pokemon made a fearful howl, and headed towards the burning theatre. Everyone could see him, but no-one could stop him. He was running faster than he ever had, and nothing could have made him turn back. Just like that, ignoring the screams behind him, the Umbreon entered the flaming building.

The heat was unbelievable, and the smoke made it impossible for even the sharp-eyed pokemon to see anything. It was like he was blind, aimlessly heading towards the heart of a volcano. But it didn't stop him.

Twice was the Umbreon nearly crushed by a falling piece of the roof, his eyes were sore, and it became harder and harder to breathe. Draining in all the air he could, concentrating all his power into moving on, he sharpened his ears, and searched. He seemed to search for an eternity.

But before he could completely lose his hope, he heard a small noise. A tearful, weak, silent cry echoed in his ear. The Umbreon yelped, and heard a sharp breath, followed by the sound of a child coughing. Without hesitating for a second, the Umbreon followed the sound, and soon found a small girl, crying in a corner surrounded by flames.

Ignoring what might happen to him, the Umbreon jumped over the fire, and reached the girl. She had noticed him, she had heard his yelp, and was now staring at him with wide eyes, obviously not believing what she saw, slowly realizing that her dear partner had come for her.

" Um--!" she tried to shout his name, but her throat was filled with smoke, and wild coughs shoke her small body, and her hands trembled as she covered her mouth with the sleeve of her slightly burned kimono. It was heartbreaking to see, and for a moment Umbreon had no idea what to do. But when his trainer looked at him with teary, but still clear eyes, he grabbed her sleeve in his mouth, and started leading her through the flames, so fast they didn't have the time to burn her. He released his grip, but made sure she was following him as often as he could.

The girl followed him with shaky steps, as he tried to keep the flames away by firing shadow balls at them. Umbreon remembered the path he had come through, and even though his vision still wasn't good, was well leading his trainer out of the flames. It all went well, until he heard a now familiar rumbling from the ceiling. He made a warning roar, and pushed the young kimono girl from the way of a falling, violently burning board.

He quickly opened his eyes, and saw that his trainer didn't seem to be badly hurt, but she had hit her head. The clearness of her eyes was slowly fading, and it seemed she was about to lose her consciousness. Umbreon whined in terror, trying to keep her awake, when he realized the fallen board had blocked their path. Panic quickly grew in his heart, as he tried to put out some of the flames by desperately spitting out shadow balls from his mouth, but he was getting weaker by every moment, and the attacks didn't seem to affect the flames at all.

The kimono girl made a painful sound, and Umbreon was at complete loss of what to do. The urge to give up grew stronger and stronger; all seemed to be lost. The flames came closer and closer, and there was no means of escape. Umbreon closed his eyes, trying to protect his trainer with his body, hoping he would last long enough for someone else to rescue her, but it all seemed hopeless.

His body was dull, and he had no idea whether they had already been engulfed by the flames, when he heard a magnificent kaw. Umbreon raised his head, and somehow, managed to separate a giant being surrounded by the tips of the flames. All colours of rainbow ran though his eyes, and the being made another powerful scream, flapping its huge wings dyed in a burning red colour.

What was this magnificent creature? Did this mean they were saved?

No. It was too late for him already. He knew it, there was absolutely no power left in him. But he still had hope.

Slowly, Umbreon turned his eyes to the girl under him, She was breathing, though faintly, and her eyes were just slightly open. Umbreon wasn't sure if she was awake, but she was alive, at least. He sighed in relief, and looked at the beautiful phoenix-like creature over him. The bird raised its wings, making the flames move away from the girl and the Umbreon. In the instant it happened, Umbreon could hear the screams from outside, and the steps of the brave ones who, like him, had entered the wildly burning building.

The Umbreon used the final sparks of strength he never even knew he had, to gently push the girl towards the sounds. Her eyes stayed on him for a moment, and a single tear fell from her left eye. Then, her eyes closed completely, and she made a mourning sound, right before the flames returned, and separated the trainer and the pokemon.

Umbreon couldn't move anymore, he felt empty, but still relieved; he had managed to rescue his trainer, and that was all that mattered.

The magnificent phoenix landed in front of him, and started singing a song, a song that only the pokemon laying in front of it could hear. As Umbreon closed his eyes, he could feel a strange sensation taking over him. A feeling he had never felt before, both so pleasant it felt like a dream, and so terrible he had to hold back a scream.


	2. Messenger

**Chapter 1: Messenger**

A lot had changed in Ecruteak city in five years. The gym had been completely remodelled a year ago, so there was still no grass growing around it, and some tools the workmen had left behind were lying around the ground. This also made the gym leader slightly annoyed, so he looked grumpier than before.

The pokemon centre had also moved closer to the gym, since the gym leader had gotten stronger, and the pokemon that lost to his were often in need of fast healing.

For one who had not been there since the infamous fire of the dance theatre would be shocked to find, that in the place of the former theatre was now a black, burned down ruin, with a sign explaining the horrendous events of five years back. It also told that a new dance theatre had been built a few blocks away from the original place, and that it was open from 12 AM to 8 PM.

The ruins of the old one were kept so that people would have a place to pay their respect towards the events that still caused many sleepless nights to many citizens, especially the kimono girls themselves.

The most significant change, however, was considered to be the fact that there were only four Kimono girls performing daily in the theatre. In other cities, there were rumours that the youngest of the girls had died in the fire, but the citizens knew better. The girl had survived, miraculously with light wounds, but it was still a very, very tragic story.

They said, that the Kimono girls had all seemed to have managed to escape the burning theatre with their pokemon, but on a critical moment, Satsuki, the eldest of the Kimono girls, had noticed that her youngest sister was missing. She had realized that she had not been seen outside at all, and that the poor girl was most likely still in the building. This had also been noticed by the Umbreon the youngest sister owned, who had rushed back into the building, and somehow managed to get her away from the worst fire. Satsuki had carried her out, but the Umbreon was never found. Soon enough, it became very clear that the poor pokemon had died in the fire.

This had been hard on all the kimono girls, but Tamao, the youngest sister, had suffered the most. The loss of her pokemon had caused her to become extremely depressed, and she had lost her wish to dance at the new theatre. Eventually, she realized it was too painful for her to stay in Ecruteak city, or even it Johto. So, the girl had taken an Eevee, coincidentally the little sister of her deceased Umbreon, with her and left to Orre, ignoring what her sister had said. Not once had she since put her feet on Johto, and she only rarely called her sisters. According to the kimono girls, she was currently living in Sinnoh, a region in the north. Even so, that was only the latest information they had. She had already lived in several regions, and she had been in Sinnoh for a fairly long time compared to the others, so it was likely that she'd move soon, if she hadn't already done so.

Those were the rumours, at the least.

The truth was a little different, though; Tamao quite liked Sinnoh, and was not planning to move away from there in a while. She liked the way the air was refreshing in there. She enjoyed walking in a route, noticing it'd start snowing soon, and hoping to find a shelter somewhere for the night. The trainers were nice too; they were often eager to join her journey for a short period of time, or challenge her to a three on three battle. Even though Tamao did remember having some unpleasant encounters with some strange people breaking havoc in the name of some Team Galactic, the people in Sinnoh were mostly nice. Oh no – she wasn't going to leave, not for a while, at least.

Upon leaving her home, Tamao had first left for Orre, where she had obtained another Eevee from a boy named Michael, due to various reasons. From there, she had travelled to Kanto, but left soon after accidentally capturing a fun-loving Murkrow, sometimes a major pain in the back. Since then, she had travelled through many regions, and eventually ended up in Sinnoh. She had now lived there for a year, and found it the most comfortable place for her to be. Her Eevees (who had by now fallen in love with each other) had soon both evolved soon after she got to Sinnoh, making Tamao the owner of a Leafia and a Glacia. Her Murkrow was also eager to evolve, but since Tamao felt he would become dangerous if he gained more power, she kept her Dark stone hidden, which was a source of great annoyance to the Murkrow, who had always been a troublemaker, and very eager to gain power.

That, of course, was just Tamao's journey in a nutshell, and it had taken her five years to get where she was now. She was known as a fairly strong trainer, who had defeated some gyms here and there, but never really aimed towards becoming anything. She was still searching for her place, and she knew it too.

Her depression had gotten better though. Even though Tamao still mourned for her lost Umbreon, she still did her best for her three pokemon, and somewhat enjoyed her quiet, peaceful life with them. She was sure that in Sinnoh, she'd finally be able to become happy, and live the life she wanted to.

With this optimistic attitude, Tamao was peacefully living her days in Sinnoh. She had circled around the region once already, but she had yet to decide where to by a house from, so she was currently just wandering around Sinnoh.

Currently, she was walking along route 212, trying to remember whether she was supposed to turn to right of to left from the crossing. Glacia and Leafia were arguing about this too, as they walked by her. Tamao obviously couldn't understand their words, but since she was the one who had started the conversation, she knew the topic of their growling.

" Calm it, you two. It doesn't matter, really. We've got plenty of time," Tamao told them, and the two looked at her stubbornly, obviously wanting to know which she thought was the right way to go.

" Uh… I seriously suck at remembering where I've gone, really, so there's no need to…", Tamao started, only to get interrupted by some angry growling, and the two pokemon starting arguing again.

Tamao couldn't help but to sigh, which greatly annoyed the two pokemon. They both made a devilish grin, and started playfully tackling Tamao's feet.

"Cut it out, you two! I'm going to fall," Tamao shouted, trying to sound calm, but in reality she was quite annoyed, struggling to hold it back.

Leafia and Glacia, however, had not had enough, so both of them decided on doing a gentle body slam, right on Tamao's ankle… unfortunately, they both realized their plans at the same time.

" Ah!" Tamao gasped, as both of her feet were hit, and she fell right down on the road. Even though her fall was softened by a pokeball on her belt, she couldn't help but to feel terrified; something more annoying than her getting hurt was about to occur.

Indeed; as the pokeball hit the ground, it's seal opened, letting out a black, crow-like pokemon. In the instant the pokemon noticed he was outside, he started shouting in joy, with something very devilish in his voice.

Tamao made a sigh, and the two pokemon that had knocked her down lowered their ears, and looked at their trainer nervously, wondering how she'd react.

" Now you've done it," the girl muttered, and picked up the pokeball, which had rolled to her side. Returning the Murkrow would not be possible in a while though.

On that instant, the Murkrow started wildly flapping his wings, making sand fly right on his two companions and trainer, laughing as devilishly as a Murkrow can. He then took off, flying towards west, aiming for the closest town.

" _Oh geez. I wonder how much his pranks will cost me this time…?"_ Tamao whined in her mind, remembering how expensive it had been to pay for the repairing for not less than fifteen windows, which had all been broken last time the darkness pokemon was accidentally let out of his pokeball in an unrestricted environment.

Glacia looked at her, and slightly wagged her tail, probably trying to let he know she was sorry, and Leafia started nervously walking around in circles. Tamao smiled sadly at them.

" What's done is done. Besides, it was an accident," she said calmly.

The black-haired girl then gently pushed the ground, getting on feet, and wiped off some sand from her clothes. She looked at the side of the road, seeing a nice big tree, and a small, artificial pond. She smiled a little, finding herself to be, at least slightly, able to benefit from the accident. She turned to look at her two loyal pokemon, who had already guessed what was in her mind, and looked slightly happier.

" Now that Murkrow has flied off somewhere, we can't move on, or he'll get lost and break even more of other's property. Let's have a break over there, okay?", she said, simply out of conveniences sake, knowing that the two pokemon would be playing in the pond before she'd even manage to finish her sentence. And right she was; she had barely managed to start talking when the two had started running, shouting in joy, but this time nothing devilish in their voices. Tamao finished her sentence on her own, and then shouted after the two.

" Be careful, okay?"

Then she calmly walked up the tree, sat down on the ground, and took a comfortable position on the grass.

" _Might as well take a nap…" _She thought simply, and yawned, realizing once again that she really should sleep more.

Tamao closed her eyes, but before allowing herself to fall asleep, she shouted out to her pokemon, whom she heard playing in the pound now.

" Watch for everything while I'm asleep! If something happens, or Murkrow returns, please wake me up! Oh, and be careful!" she added in the end, like she always did.

Upon hearing a joyful answer from both of them, Tamao let herself go completely, and in a matter of seconds, she had fallen fast asleep.

Her dream, however, turned out not to be the usual one, where she had to apologise for Murkrow. It was something very different.

At first, Tamao felt a warm, comfortable sensation, and felt a pokemon gently lick her cheek, just once. Her eyes shot open, and she realized she was standing in front of the dance theatre in Ecruteak, the place that had been somewhat her home for the first ten years of her life.

And right next to her, by her feet, a slick, elegant black pokemon was standing, staring at the theatre.

Tamao made an inner gasp. Her lungs wanted to make a sharp breathe, and her heart tried to start pounding faster and faster, her arms and legs wanted to become paralysed from shock, but… None of these happened. Her body remained relaxed, her lungs took deep breaths, and her heart beat ever so calmly. Not even her expression changed; she was calm outside, but inside, she was holding back a scream.

On the very moment Tamao realized she had no control over her body whatsoever, the Umbreon by her legs got up. He looked at Tamao, and then turned his head towards the dance theatre, starting to walk towards it.

Tamao wanted to scream his name and stop him, knowing exactly what was likely to happen soon. But, instead, she merely started walking after the pokemon, following him inside. For an endless moment she followed the pokemon in the theatre, until the Umbreon finally stopped, and sat down on the floor. Tama walked until she was right behind him.

On the moment she stopped, wild flames lit in the building. Suddenly, the whole building was engulfed in fire, as if it would have been burning for hours already. Helplessly, Tamao couldn't do anything but stare, when her beloved Umbreon got up again, gave her a sad look, and ran right into the flames.

That was when the force binding Tamao's body disappeared. Her heart started beating faster than it ever had, her lungs drew a dozen sharp breaths, and a scream came out from her mouth.

" Umbreon! Umbreon, no!" she screamed, and started running towards the flame her pokemon had disappeared into. But before she could reach it, before she could even feel the heat coming from that specific flame, she heard a powerful scream from above.

Tamao raised her head in fear, and in the instant all seven colours of a rainbow flashed in her eyes, leaving only a golden figure for her to see.

The figure, a magnificent bird, bended its head towards her. If Tamao hadn't realized what it was before, she knew now; every citizen of Ecruteak city knew the legend of the golden and rainbow-coloured phoenix.

Tamao gasped in awe, but managed to get her eyes off the magnificent being, staring into the flames where her pokemon had disappeared. But she was forced to turn her head right back, as the being let out another kaw, and this time golden flames started gathering around its wings. In the next moment, the building was no longer engulfed in the flames it had been; instead, it was engulfed in a sacred fire, coming from the huge rainbow coloured wings of this phoenix.

Tamao felt warm, just like at the start of the dream, but the name of her pokemon was still echoing in her mind, and the sad look he had given her still remained in her eyes.

But before Tamao could react in any way, she felt gently, but fast and panicking pounding on her shoulder. Suddenly, a similar feeling started on her other shoulder too.

" I must wake up," she told herself, realizing it was just a weird nightmare. She closed her eyes, and bit her tongue harshly. Slowly, the warm sensation started fading, her heart started calming down, and Tamao could feel grass with her fingers.

Tamao's eyes shot open, and she found herself safely under the tree, near that artificial pond her pokemon had last been playing in. The pond was empty now, and the two pokemon were now on both of her sides, tapping her shoulders in fear, trying to wake her up. When they noticed her eyes were open, both of them started shouting, sounding fearful.

Tamao sat up, and put her hand on the head of Glacia, the one that was close rot her, as Leafia had started running in circles again.

" Wh- what's wrong?" Tamao asked, still dazed by her dream, trying to get herself together.

Glacia looked terrified, and Tamao couldn't help but to notice her icy fur sparkling in a strange bright and golden light. But before she managed to wonder about it, Glacia had already looked up, and moved fearfully closer to her trainer.

Tamao looked right up, and what she saw amazed her so much she could no longer feel her legs.

Because right there, above the trainer and her two awed pokemon, was a magnificent rainbow-coloured bird. This time, it was not a dream. Because truly, there, it really was, looking straight at Tamao with its red eyes.

The legendary rainbow pokemon Ho-oh.

Tamao couldn't make a sound. She just stared at the amazing being, without even knowing what to think. Leafia and Glacia made nervous glances at the legendary pokemon, not knowing if it was okay for them to look or not.

Ho-oh was burning in a gentle, golden light, but it looked somewhat sorrowful. As Tamao tried to figure out its expression, the pokemon made a harmonious, beautiful shout, and flapped its wings once. It turned around, and started beautifully flying towards the western sky, making one meaningful glance at Tamao as it flew.

Tamao got up as fast as she could, and took a few steps after it.

" West… Johto!" She gasped as she realized where the pokemon was most likely heading.

Her head started feeling heavy, and her mouth felt dry. What was going on? Had the legendary pokemon flown all the way to Sinnoh, just to see her? And did this mean it wanted her to return to Johto?

" _It can't be… Why would a legendary pokemon want me to…?" _Tamao shouted at herself in her head, and squeezed her hands harshly against each other, only to realize she was holding something. Something soft and warm.

With shivering hands, Tamao opened her grip, and saw a beautiful, rainbow coloured feather in her hands. She knew what it was, and especially it's value. And it didn't make her feel good at all.

A Rainbow wing. The feather of Ho-oh, the only way for a trainer to proof she had the right to meet up with Ho-oh, rumoured to be resting on the top of Tin tower in Ecruteak city.

Tamao turned her gaze towards west, where Ho-oh had already disappeared. She knew for sure now.

The legendary pokemon really had come to call for her. It really did want her to follow it. Tamao was to return to Johto, whether she wanted or not.


	3. West

**Chapter 2: West**

It was all like a dream that you can't fully remember. You only remember parts of what happened in it, leaving some parts completely blurry, and most importantly, you have no recollection of why it all happened.

The events after Tamao had met up with Ho-oh were just like that. Now that she was standing at the magnet train station in Kanto, she felt like she would just have woken up from a very confusing dream, and noticed that she had sleepwalked quite a lot.

Back in route 212, she had, without even thinking after, grabbed her backpack, checked her items, and started walking west, towards the town Murkrow had flown into. Leafia and Glacia had followed her without a word; they both knew the meaning of the legendary pokemon appearing, and how significant it really was.

The three had soon reached the town Murkrow was vandalising, and caught the pokemon before he managed to cause any significant damage. All Tamao had to pay for were some pofin he had stolen, and the victim co-ordinators weren't that angry, they even gave her some pofin and some berries, so that Murkrow wouldn't need to steal.

After thanking them, Tamao had asked Leafia to watch for Murkrow, as she went to a warehouse and borrowed a bike. When she returned, Murkrow looked serious, obviously upon hearing the story from the other two, and went quietly to his pokeball, without making uproar.

Tamao had withdrawn Leafia and Glacia too, because neither of them would have the strength to run after a bike.

Without anything happening on the way, there weren't even any trainers around; Tamao had soon made her way to Mio city. There, she had headed straight to the port (after returning the bicycle to a local pokemon centre, from where it's be sent back to the warehouse), and bought a ferry ticket to Kanto. It was the place closest to Johto she could get from Sinnoh.

While riding the ferry, Tama had stayed on the deck, due to her easily getting seasick, and the wind making her feel slightly less sick. She had seen several other ferries, coming from Hoenn, Fiore, Orre and several other regions. "All ships sail to Kanto" went an old saying.

Most ferries were fast ships by now, so it only took the ferry six hours to reach Vermilion city. Without even stopping to think, Tama had walked to Saffron, flashed her long-unused rail ticket to the receptionist, and entered the magnet train platform, where she was currently waiting for the train. All this she had done automatically, concentrating solely on wha tshe did now, without letting nay thoughts drift into her head. Just like a sleepwalker. Or a robot.

It was now that the thoughts like "what am I doing?" and "this is crazy!" started drifting into her head. But before she managed to consider turning back, she saw the lights of the magnet train approaching, and the people in the platform started moving closer to the rail. Tamao sighed. There was no turning back now; she had already come this far, so she might as well go all the way to Johto. If nothing else, she'd at least see her sisters.

Tamao got on the train quietly, and went to sit down with heavy thoughts in her head.

What was going on? Why had Ho-oh flown all the way to Sinnoh, just to get one girl come after it? Why did Tamao have to go to Johto? Or had she probably just misunderstood, and put a lot of money into travelling to a place she really didn't want to go to, all for nothing?

Tamao sighed, as the train started up, and took off, literally flying on the rail, towards the region Tamao had thought she'd never return to. The closer the train got to Johto, the surer Tamao was she had just overreacted, and her meeting the legendary pokemon was just a coincidence. Or maybe she hadn't met it at all; she had just been hallucinating, seeing things due to her weird dream right prior to it.

" _I wonder if it's possible to stop the train and jump off now?"_ Tamao wondered, not really seriously though.

Feeling sick, Tamao opened the window, and pushed her head slightly out of the window, feeling the wind gently slam into her face as the train moved forward with an amazing speed. The wind was quite warm, probably blowing from the west, right from where Johto was.

Tamao closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Before she knew it, she felt a change in the wind. It suddenly became piercingly cold, as if it would have been blowing from North, but it still blew from the same direction as before.

Confused, Tamao opened her eyes, but on the moment her eyes sharpened, they also started widening, and great surprise. Because right in front of her eyes, by the train, a slick, blue pokemon was running. White, ribbon-like objects were wavering among a purple cloud on the back of the pokemon, and its long, thin legs were taking harmonious steps, and it looked like it had to hold back, so it wouldn't run faster than the train.

" Suicune!" Tamao gasped, understanding the reason the wind became cold. Suicune, the north wind, was running along the train, and looking straight at her as it did.

Suicune howled at Tamao, not angrily, but rather in a calling tone, and seemed to nod its head slightly to her. Tamao just stared at the pokemon in disbelieving awe, and then looked west, and saw that Mt. Silver was already in sight. She turned back to the legendary pokemon, which had obviously come to escort her, and wanted to shout out her questions to it. She felt frustrated and uneager, she hated the whole situation.

Suicune just grinned, and started fastening its steps. There was nothing Tamao could do, as the beast easily passed the train, and soon disappeared into the forest the train was about to fly through. With a disappointed sigh, Tamao pulled her head back into the train, and closed the window. None of the other passengers had noticed the legendary pokemon running by the train, and Tamao had a feeling it was somehow arranged too. She snorted, and had to hold back tears of frustration.

She had no doubts anymore though. Meeting up with two legendary pokemon, especially ones with a so close bond (as the legends said), was not a coincidence, nor a hallucination. She had not misunderstood. Ho-oh, and Suicune at that, obviously wanted her to return to Johto.

It was as late as now that Tamao became scared. Why? Why did they want her in Johto? What did they want her to do? Even though she had heard tales of young trainers rescuing, well, the world, with the help of legendary pokemon, she doubted it was the case now. She was not a hero type, she did not have a goal she blindly aimed towards (which the trainers all seemed to have), and there was no way she could do anything for the good of anyone but herself, and maybe her pokemon.

The train started slowing down. Tamao looked through the window, and saw a busy platform, and a door leading out from it, with "Goldenrod city" written above it, with fancy, golden letters. The train had arrived to their destination without Tamao even noticing. Once again, she felt like she was going to cry.

Tamao's legs were shivering as she got up, and followed the other passengers to the doors of the train. She wanted to turn around, run away. Her heart longed back to Sinnoh. But she knew all that was out of the question. She had been brought to Johto for a reason, so before running away she wanted to at least know why.

Leaving the station wasn't that hard, taking that a very few people had ridden the same train with her. Just a few moments after getting out of the train, Tamao's eyes were filled with the shine of Goldenrod's buildings in the sunlight. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and it seemed that all the clouds had gone to Sinnoh, where it had been cloudy when Tamao left.

For a while, Tamao could just stand there in awe of actually being in Johto. Goldenrod hadn't changed much in five years; it had just gotten bigger and shinier, which did not surprise Tamao. Feeling odd, she took a wavering step, and started walking through the city. People were bumping into each other around her, but she felt like she would have been in her own bubble; no-one bumped into her. Every now and then she recognized a face she had passed before, slightly older now though, and she even got some gazes of disbelief from the people who recognized her; probably those who had visited the theatre when she was younger.

Even so, Tamao realized that being in Johto didn't feel that bad, after all. She didn't like it, it did slightly sicken her, but she could deal with it. The memories that happened to drift into her when walking in the city weren't as painful as she would have thought.

With a careful expression, Tamao fastened her steps, as she left the city, and started heading towards the National park. Her careful state of mind seemed to rub off on the trainers on the route; not one of them challenged her, even though she was an obvious trainer.

A bug catching contest was being held in the park, but Tamao quietly passed the contestants. A guard at the other end of the park recognized her, and greeted her, obviously thinking he was dreaming. Tamao smiled a fake smile at him, and greeted him back, leaving the poor man mesmerized. She was too mesmerized herself to start explaining.

And soon enough, after walking the foresty route for a while, it was right there in front of her eyes; Ecruteak city.

It had changed a little, the gym was different and the pokemon centre had moved. But you could still see the ruins of the Burned tower above the city, sided by the tall Tin tower. Tamao couldn't help but to sigh. It was a nostalgic moment. Tamao hated nostalgia, because it always meant sadness.

Night was falling on the city as Tamao walked the streets she had been running around with Umbreon when she was younger. Those were happy memories, followed up by sadness, but she could deal with it by now. To her surprise, Tamao even noticed that she was sort of happy to be there. She had missed her hometown, secretly in her mind.

The sun was setting at a good pace when Tamao reached the old Dance theatre, still in ruins. She knew that the ruins had been kept, and there was a new theatre somewhere. She hoped to find out where the new one was from the old place.

She had been right; there indeed was a sign informing where it was. It was apparently closed for today, but Tamao knew her sisters would let her in, once they'd realize it really was her.

When Tamao was little, she and her sister had actually lived in the dance theatre. The room that held the stage was just a little part of the theatre, and only took up the front of the building; behind it, there was plenty of room, and that was where the kimono girls lived. Tamao just had to assume the new theatre was built the same way, and she'd get in from the backdoor. If her sisters would have gotten a separate house this time… She'd be in trouble.

The new theatre was even fancier than the old one. It was built of dark wood (the Kimono girls were known for not worrying much; they apparently didn't fear that another accident would occur, if they'd be careful with fire), making it look old and stylish. There were wooden statues of the various forms of Eevee all around the building, with Leafia and Glacia included. The old theatre had lacked those two.

Tamao snorted at the way the new theatre had been made to resemble an upgraded version of the old one, and circled the building, ignoring the huge main doors in the front. The backdoor was hidden behind bushes, just like it had before, so that it wouldn't confuse the people coming from Olivine city. The kimono girls appreciated peace while they were preparing for a performance.

Tamao took a deep breath. She couldn't predict the reaction of her sisters at all, so she just decided to get on with the situation. She knocked on the door. Simply, but loudly.

The sound of running foot came from the inside, and some quieted down shouting reached Tamao's ears. After a while, the door opened slightly, and she could hear the voice of her youngest big sister, Sumomo.

" I'm sorry, but we're closed for today. Next time, please use the main d…" she started, glancing at Tamao quickly, but stopped at the moment she saw the person standing behind the door.

At first, Sumomo couldn't recognise her little sister after four years, but soon enough her mouth opened slightly in surprise, and a gasp, which sounded like a scream, rather, came out of her mouth.

" No way! You're joking," she shouted, as she slammed the door open, staring at Tamao.

Tamao noticed Sumomo was still wearing her kimono. She had always been the laziest one of them all, and didn't even bother changing out of her kimono before she went to bed. Tamao couldn't help but to smile a little.

She could hear her other sisters coming already, startled by Sumomo screaming. And soon enough, Tamao saw her other three older sisters standing behind Sumomo, all staring at her with expressions so surprised Tamao started wondering if there was something weird in her.

Sakura, one year older than Sumomo, was the first one able to speak. Or scream, rather.

" Tama?! It's really you, isn't it, Tama?!" she shouted, using the nickname she had used for Tamao's whole life. Tamao had never understood the point of taking off one letter from her name, but she was glad to hear it after such a long time.

Satsuki, the oldest sister, made a sharp breath, and her usually so harsh expression softened slightly as she looked at Tamao. Koume didn't seem to be able to move at all, and she was gripping on the sleeve of Sumomo's kimono very harshly.

Tamao had to hold back a laugh.

" Yes, it's really me," she said, and tried to smile naturally, failing quite miserably.

The events after that were a little blurry. After a dozen screams and "no ways" from her sisters, Tamao was taken in, where she was happily greeted by Sumomo's Vaporeon, Sakura's Espeon, Koume's Flareon and Satsuki's Jolteon, all of them as surprised to see her as her trainers had been.

She introduced Leafia to her sisters and their pokemon, watched as her sisters went wild about Glacia evolving, and even let Murkrow out of his pokeball. He behaved quite well, actually.

Then she was told to tell her sisters everything about her journey. Faithfully, Tamao told them everything that had happened to her, leaving out the meetings with Ho-oh and Suicune. She didn't know enough to tell about them. When asked why she had returned, Tamao lied that she simply had decided she had been away from her sisters long enough, and that it was about time she got a grip and came to see them.

After drinking tea with her sisters, them telling her how they all were, she was escorted to a room they had made for her, taking that it was already late in the night.

The room looked exactly like Tamao's room had looked like in the old theatre. Located downstairs, near the backdoor, and decorated with pokedolls identical to the ones she had had when she was little.

An almost full moon was gently shining from the window, and Tamao sat on the bed, still confused. Everything had gone really fast. For a while ago, she had still been in Sinnoh, and now she was sitting in the new Dance theatre of Ecruteak city, with Sumomo listening to her through the wall between their rooms.

Leafia and Glacia were thrilled though. They both jumped on her bed, and soon curled up, right next to each other. Tamao couldn't help but to smile at their cuteness. It was on times like these that no-one could be cynical or angry, not even her.

She had a little argue with Murkrow, though. Apparently, Murkrow really wanted to smash one of the statues, and the fact that Tamao said no annoyed him greatly. After some bickering, Tamao ended up chasing up the pokemon around the room. In the end, she managed to withdraw him before he flew through the window. Luckily.

Hoping her sisters hadn't minded the noise, Tamao changed into the clean pyjamas her sisters had given her (which felt great, after having just two pairs for the last three years), and went to bed. She stared at the roof, feeling awkward. The roof was perfectly identical to the one of her old room; it even had a crack in the same place, though this time it was obviously made in purpose.

" Why did they have to make everything _exactly_ the way it was? Won't it bring back awkward memories to them…?" Tamao mumbled, not expecting an answer. As Leafia started snoring quietly, Tamao turned to her side, looking at the wall. The fact that it was identical to the wall of her old room too annoyed her greatly, so she just closed her eyes.

" _I bet I'll have nightmares…" _she thought, right before she fell into the world of her restless dreams.


	4. Glory

**Chapter 3: Glory**

The night went just like Tamao had predicted, at least the start of it. She did have nightmares. Well, just one actually, but it was bad enough to count as several ones.

On the moment Tamao's eyes shot open, she barely managed to hold back a scream. In the split second she woke up from the dream, she pushed her hands harshly on her mouth, and flew up into sitting on the corner of her bed. Even though the sound that came out couldn't even wake up the two pokemon sleeping in her bed, let alone her sisters, she could still feel the words

" Umbreon! Umbreon, no!"

in her freezing hands. It was not pleasant at all. In fact, it frustrated her even more than the unknowing of what she was getting herself into with those legendary pokemon.

The moon was still high on the sky, so it was still night, but since the clock on the wall wasn't working, Tamao could not even guess how long it'd take before morning would come.

Tamao sighed harshly, which caused Glacia, whom Tamao had noticed to be usually more aware of her surroundings than Leafia and Murkrow, wiggle her left ear, and a bothered expression rose on her face. Luckily, Leafia started snoring again just then, so Glacia's expression softened quickly, and she made a relieved sigh. Tama looked at her for a while, waiting, but she did not wake up. A relief, actually.

So, moving as quietly as she could, Tamao got out of bed, and soon changed out of her pyjamas. She knew quite well it'd take her hours to fall asleep, and she'd probably see another nightmare again, so she might as well take a walk. She just wanted to find something to do.

Moving slowly, in perfect stealth, she hoped her none of her sisters wouldn't be awake (Koume had always had a habit of sleepwalking, and thus waking up around the house in the middle of the night. Tamao had no idea whether she had gotten over it). Luckily, Tamao made it to the backdoor unnoticed.

The air outside was cold, but refreshing. The wind was blowing in from the south, from Route 37, but it still managed to warm the city just slightly.

" _I should have put my jacket on… I forgot how cold the nights could be here," _Tamao scolded herself. She did not bother to go get it, though.

The nighttime city was just like she had remembered; not a single light was on, except for in the gym, where a sage was probably doing some nightly training. A sage had once scared Tamao when she was desperately following the sleepwalking Koume around the nighttime city. Tamao chuckled at the memory, but quickly stopped, since her heart made an angry bounce, and started aching. Aching for someone she had lost long ago…

Annoyed, Tamao decided it was for the best if she did not hike around the city, because no matter where she'd go she'd be greeted by various memories that always brought Umbreon to her mind, which brought her pain.

So, as she was walking towards Route 37, she suddenly realized she saw a bright light from ahead, shining from the woods.

Without thinking much, Tamao approached the light, until it seemed to be just behind the bunch of trees in front of her. The leafs shook against each other, making a hissing sound, and for a moment Tamao thought there was an Arbok behind the tree.

Tamao reached towards the light, only to hear a displeased growl, and in the instant, a powerful pressure had pushed Tamao backwards, just a few metres, but in such a speed it seemed like she would have teleported. She saw thin rays of electric fly through the air by her, completely revealing the identity of the creature behind the trees.

" Raikou…?" Tamao asked, with a doubting voice. Just assuming there was a legendary pokemon behind the tree seemed so absurd that Tamao started wondering if she had become paranoid.

But as a tigerlike, huge beast with a purple cloud on its back jumped out from the woods as a response to her words, Tamao had no choice but to gasp out of frustration. Not paranoid; insane, rather.

Raikou looked at Tamao with eyes that looked somewhat insolent to her, and looked behind it. Much to Tamao's surprisement, it hissed, almost like a Meowth, and turned back to her.

" Do you want me to follow you?" Tamao asked simply, not wanting to avoid the point. She needed to know why the legendary pokemon kept appearing to her, and fast, before she'd completely lose her mind.

Raikou made a strange, surprisingly quiet, roar, and turned around to leave. And so, before Tamao could say anything, the pokemon had rushed off, leaving her standing there stupidly.

" I guess not," Tamao muttered, and turned around to return to the theatre, to avoid other possible faithful meetings with legendaries, when suddenly she heard another voice, this time, a human girl's, from the woods.

" But why do we have to follow _it_?" the voice half whispered, half whined.

The sentence was followed by some rustling in the forest, and the sounds made it very clear that there was someone, most likely more than one person, though, heading towards Tamao. She, or they, we're still out of sight though.

Then, another voice, this time a young man's, spoke in a strange, slightly whiny but fancy tone.

" My dear lady, isn't it obvious? _It_, obviously, has very close bonds to the one we have specifically been searching for ages, and therefore following _it_ might lead us straight to our goal."

Tamao couldn't help but to feel slightly revolted by the way the last voice spoke (which made her ignore that fact that it sounded slightly familiar), and the content, but before she managed to make her getaway, two figures had already started appearing from the Route.

The other one, the person who had obviously spoken first, was a girl, likely to be around Tamao's age. She had a shoulder length, lightish blue hair, tied on slightly pointy pigtails. Her eye colour was impossible to make out of in the dark, but her eyes were rather big, making her look very naïve. She had a semi long, white jacket, apparently a black shirt under it (judging by her collar), and dirty yellow, almost brown long pants. On top of that, she looked somehow familiar; Tamao was sure she had met her somewhere.

Just one glance revealed the identity of the other person to Tamao. It'd take her more than another five years to forget the man in the purple suit, covered by a white cape, slicked light brown hair and a self-centred look on his face. It was Eusine, alright, the guy who had first told Tamao the legend of Suicune and the legendary beasts.

While Tamao quietly observed the two, they didn't seem to notice her at all while they almost crawled out of the forest. They looked dirty, like they would have been there for days.

" You said that last time too, and all good it did was giving my Noctowl some exercise while we circled the region, twice! Do you seriously think Raikou would be that stu- Oh?" the girl scolded Eusine angrily, ending her sentence as if she would have hit a wall. She had noticed Tamao.

Eusine seemed to notice the sudden stop of the lecture the girl was giving him, and he followed the surprised look of his companion, only to see the black haired girl on their way, looking at them. His eyes widened.

" You… wouldn't be… little Tamao?" he gasped in his usual, melodramatic tone, and Tamao realized it was too late for her to escape.

" I would," Tamao sighed out, closing her eyes.

Eusine let out a surprised shout, and the girl by him gasped in unison. It seemed that she knew who Tamao was, too. They had definitely met somewhere.

" Oh my! This is quite unexpected! I thought you stated you were never going to put your feet on the grounds of Johto again…?" Eusine gasped out, with his eyes narrowing eerily. Tamao knew what he was doing; and unfortunately, he was pulling it off without any problems.

" I guess I lied," she snorted, without even bothering to hide her feelings. She was annoyed.

Eusine smiled as eerily as ever, and walked right up to Tamao. He grabbed her face to his hand, and seemingly started examining it. Tamao didn't mind, because it kept him busy from trying to annoy her.

" My, my… You really have grown a lot! Five years have turned you into a real lady, I'd say," he muttered quite loudly, and quickly glanced at the girl behind him.

The girl had remained quiet so far, but an annoyed expression had grown to her face.

" Quit messing around! We've got work to do!" she shouted at Eusine, and walked angrily up to him, glaring furiously.

" _I hope she isn't angry at me…" _Tamao thought, and felt her fingers go stiff. Something told her she didn't want to anger this girl.

Her thoughts were answered right away, right after Eusine let go of her face, and looked down, like a sulking kid. The girl turned to look at her, with a polite smile on her face.

" It seems that we meet again. I doubt that you remember me though, it took me a few glances to recognize you, too." She told Tamao, looking straight into her eyes. She made a strange grin, giving Tamao a sudden flashback of a battle… A battle she had long since forgotten of, surprisingly, since it was the first battle she had lost after her Eevee had evolved. She had been amazed by the powerful trainer, who had simply grinned at the astonished kimono girl after the battle,

" I do… You're… Crystal, aren't you?" Tamao asked her, having to search her memories for a while before she found the name.

The girl, Crystal, smiled in a strange way. A smile that brought out happiness, but along with it, it exposed a sadness that seemed like it would have been hidden for a long time.

" I'm glad that you remember me. The battle I had with you was simply outstanding; I haven't had that much fun very many times after it," she chatted. Tamao wasn't sure if she had imagined it, but it seemed that she capitalized the last part of her sentence, and made a piercing glance at Eusine while saying it.

Whether or not it really happened, Eusine reacted. He snorted, and made a despising look at Crystal, but then turned back to Tamao, with a strange, flirting smile.

" Ignoring the fact that the lady shouldn't really be in Johto at all, what might you be doing outside so early in the morning?" Eusine asked, sounding like he really enjoyed his own voice.

" Oh, so I'm a lady now…?" Tamao muttered to herself, and was quite sure that Eusine didn't hear her, but Crystal chuckled slightly at her sentence, which caused a confused expression visit Eusine's face for a moment.

Tamao tried to smile to Crystal, but it didn't really turn out good. It looked more like she was thinking about something unpleasant. Ignoring that, she decided to speak truthfully. Eusine would get all annoying if he caught her of a lie.

" Oh, so it's morning already? Good to know, I couldn't tell," she sighed out again.

Eusine seemed to understand. He smiled somewhat gently. It didn't suit him at all; it just looked weird to Tamao.

" Old memories coming back, eh?" he mumbled quietly, making Crystal look somewhat awkward.

" I guess," Tamao said blankly.

The three were quiet for a while, until Eusine turned to Crystal. He spoke surprisingly straight, without making any confusing remarks.

" Since we have by now lost the track of Raikou, I suggest we quit for tonight."

" Fine. I'm tired, anyway. But I'm not sleeping outside, now that we're in Ecruteak." Crystal muttered, and looked at him with a somewhat bitter look.

" My, my. You shouldn't bother Morty this early in the morning. That man hardly gets any sleep due to the nighttimes' training, what if you happen to wake him up?" Eusine whined back at her, as if she was a child.

" I hardly get any sleep because of you, so there. He'll understand," Crystal nearly spitted out at Eusine, who managed to look insulted.

Tamao followed the bickering for a while, and then looked at Eusine.

" Still running after Suicune, are you?" she asked him, getting a snide look in return.

" And what makes the lady think I haven't caught the beast yet?" Eusine said moodily.

" I know you haven't," Tamao said simply, with a confident voice. Well, she did know for sure, after all.

Eusine chuckled fancily, and grabbed Crystal's shoulders.

" True. I'm still chasing after my dreams. Luckily, I've been assisted by this lovely lady for quite a while now," he said cheerfully.

Tamao couldn't help but to feel a little surprised. Even though the conversation had hinted towards it, the last time she had met her, Crystal had not seemed like a person who hunted specifically some pokemon. She had said herself that she'd leave the legendaries alone.

Crystal avoided Tamao's eyes, and blushed. She looked sheepishly to her side, which made Tamao realize that there was more to it than just going against her own words. Pushing sympathy away from her mind, Tamao just smiled politely.

" Well, better to start heading off. We'll just have to hope this is another of Morty's sleepless nights," Eusine told Crystal, and raised his hand to Tamao.

However, as he was about to turn to leave, he suddenly looked back at Tamao.

" Oh… Out of curiosity, how long has the lady been back?" he asked, sounding genuinely interested.

" A few hours at top. Arrived this evening," Tamao answered, wondering what Eusine wanted.

" Then, you have not greeted Morty yet, have you?"

That came as a surprise to Tamao. She looked at Eusine with wide eyes.

" You want me to come with you?" she asked with a voice so stunned, Eusine couldn't help but to laugh a little.

" Well, now that our paths have crossed, and you do not seem to have anything to do, why not go all the way together? Besides," he added eerily.

" I wish to see Morty's face when he sees you."

As Crystal snorted, seemingly still embarrassed, Tamao couldn't help but to laugh. It felt weird, after a long time.

" One of these days he's going to get you good, you know," she said, with a hint of cheerfulness in her voice.

Eusine smiled gently again, looking weird again, and didn't answer. He seemed awfully pleased though.

And soon enough, Tamao found herself standing in front of the now remodelled Ecruteak city gym, alongside with the still cheerful Eusine, and the still quiet Crystal. She felt odd, as Eusine reached for the locked door of the gym with a key.

" You stole that from Morty, didn't you?" Crystal suddenly spoke out, breaking the silence.

Once again, Eusine tried to look insulted.

" What makes the lady think he didn't give it to me?" he gasped, and Crystal shook her head.

" He might be crazy enough to be your friend, but he's not utterly insane, you know," she muttered, causing Eusine to laugh fancily again.

The door opened with a loud and long creek, even though it was obviously new. Tamao knew why though; Morty thought it was important to set the mood for the trainers about to challenge him. A Ghost-type gym needed ghostly features.

As the three stepped in, Tamao sidestepped and crouched by instinct. She noticed that Crystal did the same, but Eusine stayed up, looking at the two with a puzzled look, when suddenly understanding rose to his face. He tried to escape, but it was too late; a bucket of water had already fallen on his head, making his white cape glue to his purple suit, making it look light purple itself.

Crystal laughed.

" You sure have the memory of a Donphan; even Tamao, who hasn't been here for five years, remembered this, yet you come here all the time and always fall for it!" she chuckled hilariously.

Eusine tried to get his hair back into order, and spoke with an insulted voice.

" One cannot remember everything. My mind is currently occupied by things more significant than Morty's immature pranks," he spitted out, somewhat elegantically though. An ironical laugh responded from the darkness.

" I got the idea from you, remember?" the voice said, continued by the speaker stepping forth from the shadows.

Tamao examined Morty with her eyes, as she quietly started getting up. He looked pretty much the same as five years ago, just slightly, slightly taller and with a longer hair. He was still wearing his eternal blue clothes, but his hair was open at the moment.

Tamao's observing was interrupted by Morty smiling at her friendly. He made a welcoming gesture with his hand.

" I saw your coming. Welcome back," he said politely, but yet awfully nicely.

Tamao chuckled again at Eusine's stunned expression, and followed as a giving up understanding rose to his face.

" I should have seen it coming. I just didn't think this would be significant enough for 'The mystic seer of the future' to foresee," he mumbled. Crystal blushed again, and looked at the wall near her.

" There's more to it than you know," Morty mumbled so silently that Tamao could hear. She looked at him in surprise, and he gave her a meaningful glance, and then turned back to Eusine and Crystal.

While the three started chatting about the latest Suicune hunt and where they could sleep, Tamao stayed a little further away, thinking quietly on her own.

She had always known Morty's title (besides being the gym leader), 'The mystic seer of the future'. Ever since Tamao had been little; she had been told that Morty could foresee the future. However, when she had once asked him to tell her what she'd do tomorrow, he had just smiled ever so gently, and told her that he did not see such things.

A few years later, Tamao had found him lying sick on the ground. She had managed to help him back to the gym, where they had ended up talking about his gift again. Morty had explained her that he could only see the destinies of people, rather than the future. He could also sense the changes in destiny, and that was what had happened to him just now. Ones destiny changing was rare, and was never considered a good sign.

So, in other words, the fact that Morty had seen Tamao's return to Johto meant it was a part of her destiny. Even though this didn't surprise Tamao, it bothered her quite a lot.

" _He probably knows of the legendaries too…"_ Tamao thought, and gazed at a picturing on the wall. The silhouette of Ho-oh.

" It seems that I have worried you." Tamao heard Morty's voice from beside her.

She turned to look at him, only to realize Eusine and Crystal had apparently already gone to bed. She was alone with Morty.

" No, I was confused already, before you said anything," Tamao told him in a low, sorrowful voice.

Mort placed his hand on her shoulder, and turned to look at the picturing of Ho-oh.

" Have you met yet?" he asked.

" Briefly," Tamao answered.

Morty glanced at her, but turned back again. It was silent for a while.

" Do you know what's going on?" Tamao finally broke the silence.

" Not really. I only saw that you would be greatly involved in events that will affect the destinies of many people," Morty sighed.

" You knew of Ho-oh," Tamao said suspiciously, and Morty turned to her.

" One of the few details I've seen, I mostly just see a blurry picture," he said, almost like he would be apologising.

Tamao sighed.

" I'll have to be brave?"

" Yes."

" I'll face dangerous situations?"

" Definitely."

" I'll be forced to face painful memories?"

" No doubt."

" The destiny of our world will be on the line?" Tamao asked, this time a little sarcastically.

Morty laughed sadly.

" Hopefully not," he said.

Tamao couldn't help but to feel slightly relieved, even though her destiny seemed quite unpleasant.

" But you can't tell me any details?" she asked, just to be sure.

" Just that the wheels of destiny will start moving very soon," Morty muttered in a low voice.

Tamao stared at him for a while.

" Stop trying to sound mysterious. This is not funny, you know," she said in an insulted tone.

Morty smiled sheepishly, but then turned serious.

" But you know what I meant, don't you?" he asked while looking Tamao into her eyes.

Tamao sighed deeply.

" I do."

The two just stood there in silence for a while. While thinking about destiny, the image of Crystal looking sheepishly away suddenly came to Tamao's mind.

" Um, Morty, can I ask you something…?" Tamao blurted out before she could stop herself.

Morty smiled.

" I thought for sure you'd hold it back," he said, and when Tamao gave him a sharp glare, he explained.

" No, I didn't foresee your question; I'm just good at guessing. And," he added, when Tamao's expression turned suspicious.

" I saw that you were slightly dazed by her in the doorway."

Tamao was satisfied with that answer. However, even she didn't know the form of her question, but Morty started talking without her asking.

" She's gone through some rough times since you last met her. You could say that she's a completely different person from the ten-year-old girl you battled five years ago. Yes, even her destiny." Morty sighed while Tamao looked at him meaningfully.

" When I first met her, I couldn't believe what I saw; despite being so young, her heart was strongly following a goal, directly linked to her destiny. And what a destiny it was! On the moment I laid my eyes on her, my mind was filled with images of Ho-oh, Suicune, Raikou, Entei and every possible legendary pokemon I could imagine. I saw her standing in her full glory, in her goal, shining brighter than anyone ever had," Eusine memorized, sounding awed by the memory.

Tamao looked at him silently. She didn't like the way the story was moving on.

Morty continued with a sad tone.

" Her destiny had already changed many other destinies for the better, and it was to do it several times again. She had already had a meeting with legends. She was fulfilling her destiny amazingly. But… five years ago, around the time of the fire, something changed."

Tamao shivered. The story made her feel more and more disgusted all of the time.

" Even though Crystal was just peacefully following her faith, doing nothing wrong, her path started suddenly… leading her to the wrong way, I could say. Her destiny started changing. No… It started disappearing. It became more and more empty all of the time. All I could do was watch horrified as her promised glory was slowly fading away, turning into nothingness. And, over one night, she had gained an empty destiny – nothing was to happen to her. Ever.

By then, she was already known as one of the most powerful trainers in Johto, but even she could feel the difference. All of a sudden, she withdrew herself from the ambitious battles she had been taking part into, and disappeared. The next time I met her, she had joined Eusine on his quest to capture Suicune."

Morty sighed once again. One, devastated sigh. Tamao was feeling sick, she didn't want to hear any more, it was all too painful. She didn't want to feel sorry for Crystal; sympathy was the worst thing you could give to a person.

Morty looked at her, probably guessing her thoughts, but continued anyway.

" Ever since, we obviously became closer, because Eusine likes visiting me, so he can take advantage of my gym or pull pranks on me." Morty chuckled sadly.

" Every time I met her, I tried to search her destiny, only to see the same nothingness. I wanted to find a reason for her destiny fading, since it clearly wasn't her own doing. I had never seen such a drastic change in destiny, not after…" he stopped, and seemed to get lost in his thoughts for a while, looking at the silhouette of Ho-oh.

Tamao stood by him in silence too. She was relieved that he had stopped; it was too much for her. She regretted that she had asked; her own destiny was enough of a worry to her, and she just had to start asking about others'. She had insulted Crystal's privacy, that was for sure.

Mort suddenly looked at her, and continued in a strange tone.

" Not long ago, around the time I saw you meeting with Ho-oh, her destiny changed again though."

Tamao looked up in surprise.

" The emptiness disappeared, but nothing has replaced it yet. It's like her destiny is covered in a fog. I know there is something, but no matter how hard I try, I cannot see it," Morty said in a troubled tone.

" Wh- what does that mean?" Tamao asked with a shocked, low voice.

" I don't know. It's never happened before," Mort answered, sounding somewhat shocked himself.

Once again, silence took over the room. Tamao felt ashamed. She shouldn't know any of this; it was Crystal's, and, well, sort of Morty's too, private issue that had nothing to do with her. It was just rude of her to ask something like this.

Morty spoke again.

" Listen, I'm telling you all this because I have a feeling it's the right thing to do. I can't explain why, but I just do. I would have told you it, even if you wouldn't have asked me."

" That's just rude!" Tamao snapped at him, emphasising with Crystal. She wouldn't like it if someone started telling her destiny around.

Morty shook his head.

" I'd appreciate if you wouldn't mention anything about this to Crystal. She does not know of her destiny, former or current. She just acknowledges fundamentally that something has changed, and that I know what it is."

" Why?" Tamao asked, hoping to get at least one answer to the several questions in her mind.

" I felt it was better if she wouldn't know. She's having it tough enough already."

After a while of silence, the two started talking about Tamao's journey in the wide world. There was nothing that could be said besides it, anymore.

The sun was rising when Tamao stepped out of the Gym, heading back to the dance theatre. Morty waved his hand at her.

" Come visit me again any time. Night or day," he chuckled.

Tamao smiled at him, genuinely.

" Oh, and be careful," he told her, with genuine concern.

" Don't worry about me; I'll survive, right?" Tamao rather told than asked him.

" I can't know for sure," Morty sighed playfully.

Tamao waved her hand at him, and after she'd turned to leave, the gym leader returned inside, with a sad look on his face.


	5. Fog

**Chapter 4: Fog**

Tamao's head was heavy when she returned to the dance theatre, but she managed to push away the bad things from her mind. She returned to her room silently, without waking up her sisters.

The only ones who had noticed her being gone were Leafia and Glacia. Leafia looked overjoyed when she returned, and, judging by the little muddy footsteps on the floor, had gone searching for her, only to return to run around in circles. Glacia just gave her a disapproving glance.

Tamao muttered some apologies, and went to sit on the corner of her bed. There was no point in getting to sleep anymore; she'd be wakening up soon anyway. Besides, upon hearing what she just had, there'd be no chance for her not to have nightmares.

" _I'm such a brave person,"_ she scolded herself quietly.

Whatever the legendaries wanted her to do, it'd probably be too much for her. Oh well; she could always run away. Even though Ho-oh could easily follow her to Sinnoh, Tamao doubted it'd drag her back by force. After all, she didn't need to save the world or anything. Surely they'd find someone else for the job.

Both Leafia and Glacia looked worried as they gazed her. Both of them could guess that she had gained even more heavy thoughts while she was away. Leafia jumped to Tamao's lap, and looked relieved when she smiled at him, and petted his head gently. Glacia hopped to her bed, and sat by her, not touching, but Tamao knew she was doing her best.

" Don't worry, I know I'm not in this alone," Tamao told them, surprised of her own words. She hadn't really thought about her pokemon as a part of the situation, even though their bond to her was so close it was obvious.

" I'm sorry," she muttered, not caring how the two would understand it.

Glacia put her head down, and then looked at Tamao slightly sadly. Leafia, instead, became quite noisy, and Tamao wasn't really sure what he wanted to tell her.

After the trainer and her pokemon had sat there for a while, the door suddenly opened, and Sumomo barged in with a loud voice, surprised when she saw that her little sister was already awake. It was quite early in the morning, after all.

Sumomo basically dragged Tamao into the living room, where the other sisters were waiting. Koume had somehow managed to make what was apparently yesterday's leftover sushi look like a delicious meal. Tamao wasn't really hungry, but she played along, just like she should.

While Tamao was nibbling her food, her sisters, all except Satsuki, who coolly looked down to her food, were staring at her with starry eyes.

Tamao couldn't help herself.

" What is it?" she asked.

Koume started grinning, Sakura giggled, and Sumomo got a little closer to Tamao. Satsuki remained quiet, like no force in the world could make her stop eating.

" Oh nothing," Sumomo said, without meaning it at all.

" There's absolutely nothing," Koume smiled, just a little too sweetly.

" Nada. Nothing," Sakura giggled.

Tamao became annoyed.

" Look, if it involves me, I think I have the right to hear it," she muttered, causing Sumomo to grin too.

" Curious?" she asked eerily.

" Yes," Tamao answered her without any emotion in her voice.

This caught the three girls off their guards, and for a moment, Tamao thought that Satsuki smiled slightly.

" I-it's nothing, okay?" Sakura giggled. And in the next instant, the three girls had rushed off the room, giggling like little girls. Their pokemon followed right after, though Vaporeon looked at her breakfast with a little longing expression for a while, before disappearing from the door.

A heavy silence was left in the room along with Tamao and Satsuki. Even when she was little, Tamao had often been a little afraid to talk to her older sister, and now that they hadn't really spoken in five years, she felt almost like she was about to blush. Satsuki, though, was still calmly eating her breakfast. Her deep black hair made her pale skin look nearly white, and her coolly elegant eyes were focused on something she thought. Her tall figure intimidated Tamao slightly, even though nothing but her expression in her looked straightforward scary.

" Your hair is too short," se suddenly said.

" Uh… huh?" Tamao gasped, not knowing how to answer.

" That's what they said. I overheard them."

Tamao stared at her sister, who wasn't even looking at her. She just ate, coolly as ever. Tamao felt a suspicious expression rising on her face.

" Too short? For what?" she asked, without being able to stop herself.

" Too short. It won't go on a bun," Satsuki answered, still not looking at Tamao.

Understanding came to Tamao. She grimaced. The reason of the starry eyes had hit her.

" They plan to make me perform?" she asked in horror.

" It would seem so, at least they mentioned buying you a kimono," Satsuki mumbled, taking her cup of tea, and once she had quieted down, taking a fast sip from it.

" You can't be serious! I haven't danced for five years, there's no way I could…"

" I have nothing to do with this. It's their idea," Satsuki interrupted her, sipping her tea again.

Tamao quieted down. It would seem that her three other sisters had run off to buy the kimono, so there was no need her to wait for them.

Satsuki started cleaning the table, and Tamao rose to help her. In silence, the eldest and youngest sister cleaned up.

Once done, Satsuki left the room without a word, leaving Tamao on her own. Glacia and Leafia came to sit by her feet, gazing after Satsuki. Leafia raised his head, looking at Tamao with a questioning expression.

" No point staying here alone. Let's go out for a while; we'll give those legendary pokemon a chance to come and tell us what exactly they want," Tamao told him.

The pokemon nodded, and ran off to Tamao's room. Glacia followed after him. The two were back once Tamao had put on her jacket, which was now pure green, Koume had apparently washed it. Leafia had Tamao's smaller bag, one where she kept only the items she needed the most (for shorter outings, when she could leave her full bag somewhere), and Glacia had Murkrows pokeball. Tamao thanked them, and put the pokeball in the bag, and swung the bag to her shoulder.

" Let's go," she said simply.

It was a fine, sunny day outside. A slight wind was blowing, but it was not as cold as last night could have made one think. Tamao soon realized she had to take off her jacket. She didn't bother to take it back inside, though. She didn't know how long she'd be out.

Leafia seemed to like the weather, but Glacia looked like she was a little sick. Warm days, especially sunny, were a little harsh on the ice type pokemon. There was nothing that could be done; Glacia would just refuse if Tamao would ask her to stay in the theatre.

Tamao had no idea where to go. She wasn't in the mood of meeting old friends and other people, because she'd have to repeat her journey again to them. Plus, with these heavy things on her mind, it'd be hard to pretend to be chirpy.

While she had been thinking, Tamao had wandered into route 37 without even noticing. It was as late as when Glacia sneezed by an Apricorn tree that Tamao looked up and realized where she was. Her pokemon didn't seem to mind; they probably hadn't even noticed that she had been wandering around aimlessly. Tamao felt a little cold, and put on her jacket again.

Tama sighed, and as if as an answer to her sigh, she started hearing rustling from the bushes left to her. She turned her head, and waited for a Growlithe, or maybe a Stantler, appear. She was prepared for a battle; the wild pokemon around here had always been keen of battling. Leafia was growling slightly, and Glacia was making an icy glance at the bushes.

However, when a slightly small, but still impressive looking Ninetales appeared from the bush, Tamao couldn't help but to just stare. Never mind that stone evolvers hardly ever appeared in the wild, or that there weren't any Vulpix around here, but that Ninetales looked really tough; Tamao thought that it was probably around the level seventy, and she knew of no pokemon with such a high wild level, beside some Snorlax.

Leafia and Glacia had realized too, and they both quieted down, getting as close to Tamao as they could, waiting for instructions.

While Tamao stared at the pokemon, who merely gazed back at her, she started hearing rustling from the bush again. And in a few second, a familiar looking blue-haired girl had appeared in front of her.

" Oh," Tamao gasped slightly in surprise.

The equally surprised Crystal didn't make a sound, but her mouth was slightly open.

But before neither of them could say anything, another familiar voice yelled from further away in the bushes. Crystal sighed theatrically, and turned towards the bushes.

" Eusine! I'm here!" she shouted, apparently as loud as she could, since the loudness of her voice startled both Tamao and her pokemon. The Ninetales wasn't moved, though.

Soon enough, Eusine had crawled out of the bushes. After straightening his back, he looked at Tamao, and despite him hiding it, some surprisement managed to escape to his face.

" Lady Tamao," he said simply.

" Hello there," Tamao answered him.

Crystal looked at the two for a while, and then bended over to the Ninetales. She patted the pokemon's head, gaining Tamao's attention. But before Tamao managed to speak, Eusine had already started talking to Crystal.

" Any luck?"

Crystal made a grimace.

" Just for your information, Ninetales aren't supposed to track by scent. That's something Arcanines do."

" Well, we don't have one, so I thought your Ninetales was the next best thing. But apparently, you've concentrated too much on giving her a little boost in her special attack to mind her other convenient abilities," Eusine started whining, and Crystal opened her mouth in anger, but Tamao managed to butt in.

" So that Ninetales is yours?" she asked Crystal.

Crystal's expression softened.

" Yes, she's mine. I caught her while visiting Kanto," she answered politely.

" Really? Probably one of the last ones from there… Their amount in Kanto has gone down critically, it seems that soon you'll only be able to find them in Hoenn," Tamao chatted without thinking after, sort of nervously.

Crystal didn't seem to notice.

" I've heard of that. Very unfortunate, thinking that they were originally discovered in Kanto," she said thoughtfully.

" Indeed," Tamao agreed, and Crystal nodded.

Eusine had followed the two talk with a confused expression, but he had now had enough.

" Umm… Excuse me, but I believe we were doing something extremely important," he started, and gained annoyed look from Tamao and a furious glare from Crystal.

" Oh, come on! We haven't even seen a flash of Suicune for two moths! Taking a little break will not turn anything to the worse, taking that we're as far away as we can be! Besides, if you still believe Suicune will just appear all of a sudden, it might as well do it - " Crystal shouted at him, causing Eusine to cover his head with his arms, but she was interrupted by a sharp gasp from the two pokemon standing at Tamao's feet.

About on the same time, Tamao, Crystal and Eusine turned their heads to their right. A blue light was shining faintly from the forest, and it kept getting stronger, coming closer. Leafia yelped and hid behind Glacia, who seemed to be paralysed by fear; she merely stared at the light, with her teeth pressed together.

And in a split second, a slender, blue pokemon had appeared from the forest. None of the three human or pokemon had any trouble in recognizing it; they had all been in its presence before.

" Now," Crystal finished her sentence, but was not yelling anymore. Her voice sounded as mesmerized as her face looked.

Eusine stared at the legendary pokemon with his mouth open, and Tamao couldn't help but to feel nervous. Had the pokemon finally come to tell her what she was supposed to do?

Suicune looked at the three human who all seemed too surprised to move, and their pokemon who seemed nervous around the legendary. It leered, and turned around, looking almost playful.

Eusine's eyes widened, and he made a quick movement towards it, but in the instant he did it, Suicune started running, a lot more slowly than it was capable of.

Eusine, who had already gotten over the biggest shock, reacted faster than the two girls.

" After it!" he shouted, causing Tamao and Crystal to snap out of their amazement.

In the instant, Crystal had returned Ninetales, and called out an impressive looking Dragonite, and a very big Noctowl. She jumped on her Noctowl, and Eusine ran to the Dragonite, but turned to Tamao.

" Will the lady come with us?" he asked hastily.

Tamao was surprised that she had the option, but nodded quickly and withdrew Leafia and Glacia. Crystal and the Noctowl appeared in front of her, and Crystal gave her a hand. As Crystal ordered the Noctowl to the air, Eusine got on the Dragonite's shoulders. The pokemon started flapping its wings without an order, and soon they were all flying through the air.

When in air, Tamao noticed that Suicune had stopped and was looking up at them as if waiting. When it noticed the three riding the pokemon, it started running again. With an amazing speed, the two pokemon glided after it.

Tamao felt like she was dreaming. There she was, riding a huge Noctowl, along with Crystal and Eusine flying by them on a Dragonite, chasing after the legendary Suicune running though the foresty landscape, glancing up at them every now and then, but seemingly running oddly slowly.

Eusine would sometimes throw down a Master ball (who knew where he had gotten so many of them from), but missing each time.

Crystal ordered a hypnosis attack from Noctowl every time the Suicune seemed to be looking up, but somehow it managed to look away fast enough every time Noctowl tried to make it fall asleep.

The chase seemed to go on forever. Tamao didn't know what to think; on the other hand, she didn't wan the Suicune to get away again without somehow explaining her what it wanted from her, but she wasn't sure if Eusine and Crystal capturing it was okay either. All she could do was to hold on tightly to their ride, and observe the situation, that seemed to remain unchanged.

But around the time she started getting anxious, the situation changed. Suicune started fastening its steps. Slowly but surely, the chasers started to fall behind. Eusine shouted something, and Crystal shouted something back at him, but all Tamao could see was the legendary pokemon slowly becoming more and more distant, until all of a sudden, while not even being that far away, it disappeared in mid air.

Tamao, Eusine and Crystal all made a sharp gasp at the same time, and both Noctowl and Dragonite slowed down in surprise.

But before any of them, human or pokemon, could even manage to think about anything, a bright light flashed at them from somewhere below.

Noctowl made a shriek, which was instantly followed by a similar shriek from Dragonite. And before she knew it, Tamao could feel a powerful pain entering her body from Noctowl. She shouted in surprise, and closed her eyes. It was as if a strong electric current was running through Noctowl to her, and obviously Crystal too, and Eusine's constant gasping made it clear that the same was happening to him as well.

Not even a second could fly by, when Noctowl completely lost the control of his wings, and the pokemon and the two human riding him started falling towards the ground with an amazing speed. Tamao managed to open her eyes, only to see Eusine and Dragonite falling too. She saw thin rays of electric crackly through the air around them, and realized that an electric force as strong as a lightning had hit them from below.

Tamao didn't even need to guess what had happened. As they fell down, she saw that there was a big pond, conveniently just there where they were about to fall.

And on the moment she hit the water harshly head on, causing it to splash to amazing heights, she saw a flash of a big, yellow, tiger like pokemon running away from them.

" _Just what I thought," _Tamao managed to think while sinking in the water, just before getting herself together, and starting to swim towards the surface. It was hard, since she had not had any time to inhale, so she did not have much air in her.

When she finally got to the surface, Tamao had to breathe for a while. When she looked around, for a moment the fact that she was alone managed to scare her, but in the next one both Crystal and Eusine had appeared through the surface. Crystal got herself together with an amazing speed, and recalled her two pokemon, out of which Noctowl was struggling to stay on the surface, and Dragonite seemed to be calming down, but still in panic.

Tamao sighed slightly, but that only made her cough out some water. It seemed that none of them was hurt, miraculously. Raikou apparently had a good aim.

" Goodness," Eusine gasped, and started coughing too.

" Ashore," Crystal managed to get out of her mouth, but she gulped in some water with that, and coughed worse than the two together.

Tamao made a sound of agreement. Slowly, the three shocked trainers started swimming towards the small sand area around the bond, surrounded by a deep-looking forest. Crystal had apparently swallowed a lot of water, since her eyes seemed foggy, and she had a hard time swimming. Eusine seemed to be the one best of, and instantly swam to her, helping her ashore.

Tamao reached the small beach first, but she managed to hurry to the grass before falling down, not wanting to dirty her clothes. Her heart was pounding like crazy, and her breathing was fast. She was fine, but still in shock. She also felt a slight hysteria crawling into her, now that the fear had almost completely vanished.

Eusine, who was supporting Crystal, soon fell down by her. Crystal made a little squeak, but wasn't hurt. For a fairly long time, the three just lay there, trying to get in as much air as they could. Water was falling into the grass from them, and the wind that had managed to blow between the trees made them slightly cold. The sun was shining high in the sky, drying them out little by little.

Then, Eusine started laughing. Crystal turned to her back, and smiled weirdly. Tamao just gazed at them, too tired to ask them what was so funny. Luckily, the two started talking.

" Man. That Raikou," Crystal muttered.

So she had seen the pokemon too.

" This was indeed the harshest way to get us off from Suicune's track ever," Eusine laughed in agreement.

Tamao started to understand.

" So this didn't surprise you?" she asked, surprised of how faint her voice sounded.

Eusine chuckled.

" Oh no. Suicune always has a way to escape us. Usually it just runs so fast we can't catch it, but every now and then it does something to get us off its trail. Though it's never been anything this harsh," he told Tamao, who didn't find the right words to answer him.

" I believe lady Crystal has even had a taste of Raikou's thunderbolt before too," Eusine continued, and glanced at Crystal.

She blushed slightly, and looked straight at the sky above them. She then started talking in a pretty causual voice.

" Sure; twice, even. Both five years ago. I guess I went a little too close."

Tamao sighed, and turned to her back too. She was holding her bag with a harsh grip, which she hadn't loosened since the fall, not even when swimming. Miraculously, the bag was still shut, and nothing had fallen out. No items, and most importantly, her three used pokeballs were safely in the bag.

After a while of resting, the three got up, and took off their jackets (or, in Eusine's case, cloak), and hang them to a three currently bathing in the sunlight. They all decided to stay by the pond until they had dried out. After all, they had no idea of their current location, since none of them had been paying attention of where they were heading while they had been chasing after Suicune.

Crystal was currently fishing up her hat from the pond, making annoyed sounds, and Eusine kept teasing her by betting that she'd soon fall in.

They had let her pokemon out of their pokeballs, to check if they were all okay.

As Tamao was looking for her pokeballs from her bag, she gazed at the pokemon, amazed.

It seemed that Crystal owned a powerful looking Feraligatr, a small and sweet scented Bellossom and, Tamao's heart had made an unpleasant bounce when the pokemon had come out of her pokeball, a slightly restless Umbreon along with her Dragonite and Noctowl, who both seemed to have recovered from the fall after Crystal gave them some Full Restore each.

Eusine only had three pokemon, the same he had five years ago, the only difference was that his Haunter had evolved into Gengar. His Drowzee and Electrode seemed to have gotten stronger too.

When Tamao let Leafia and Glacia, and even Murkrow, out of their pokeballs, Leafia instantly ran up to her, looking worried. Glacia came up to her quite quickly too, but kept an eye on Murkrow, who seemed to be rather confused. But before any of them had managed to do anything, Murkrow had got on his wings and started to fly off.

Tamao got on her feet and shouted after him.

" Please – break as little as possible!"

Eusine and Crystal looked at her a little confused, but didn't ask, since Crystal's hat had drifted a little closer to them, and it kept them busy.

Ninetales walked up to Tamao. Now that she had time, she seemed interested in Leafia and Glacia. Leafia happily followed her, quite noisily too, and Glacia followed them, remaining a little more distant to them though.

Crystal had managed to fetch her hat, and as Eusine tried to make her fall in anyway, she had sidestepped, causing the boy fall in the water himself. She had laughed hard, and run off without helping him up.

So, Tamao had walked up to him, just to get something to do, and helped him out of the pond. He seemed angry, but hid it quite well by concentrating on getting his hair in order. Crystal was getting to know Tamao's pokemon, and was surrounded by her own. Eusines pokemon came to greet Tamao cheerfully, remembering her somewhat. As Tamao chatted to them politely, she saw a small flash of blue light in the forest from the corner of her eye.

She looked at the point where she had seen it, but didn't tell Eusine the truth when he asked what was wrong.

After Eusine had managed to dry out a little, again, the three gathered together, but their pokemon were still running around the little area, Feraligatr in the pond itself.

" So, any idea where we are?" Tamao asked them, and Eusine looked at Crystal, who was holding a pokenav in her hand.

" Nope. It's still too wet to work… I knew I should have saved my money for a Poketch," she said, and seemed to sulk a little.

" I guess we'll be stuck here for a while, then. There's no point in starting to wander around; we'd just get completely lost," Tamao thought aloud, with Crystal agreeing.

Eusine looked up at the sky.

" It is getting cloudy. I hope it will not start raining," he mumbled.

" Those aren't rain clouds," Crystal told him, and he looked down.

Even though the clouds in the sky were pure white, they did cover the sun quite nastily, making them all, especially the still wet Eusine, cold. The pokemon returned to their trainers one by one, hoping to be withdrawn into the warmth of their pokeballs. Soon, only the three human were left outside. Glacia would have wanted to stay outside, but since Leafia had been cold, and would not have agreed to withdrawn if Glacia stayed outside, she had gone in too. Sometimes Tamao just had to admire the bond of her two pokemon.

Tamao looked at the pond, as it started to get darker. Darker and darker… Oddly dark, actually. Unnaturally dark.

" Hey, don't you think there's something strange…?" Tamao started as she turned around, but stopped quite quickly.

The darkness hadn't fallen because the clouds had covered the sun. There was a strange, pitch-black mist drifting in from the forest. The mist kept spreading around the pond, slowly covering the sky too, making it so black Tamao could hardly see.

" Wha-?" Tamao gasped, and turned to look at where Crystal and Eusine had been. The two weren't standing anymore. In fact, Crystal was lying on the ground, with her eyes shut, looking like she was having a horrible nightmare. Eusine had crouched by her, looking scared. He looked up at Tamao, moving his lips, but without making a sound, when suddenly a painful look grew to his face. All of a sudden, he made a strange sound, and collapse don the ground too, right beside Crystal.

" Hey! What's wrong with you two?!" Tamao shouted, and crouched by the two.

Both of them seemed to have lost consciousness, and seemed to be in pain somehow.

It was obvious that it was because of the mist. Tamao became scared, and started waiting for an unexplained pain to hit her, causing her to collapse too. Only it never came. She just sat there on the ground, dull and confused, not knowing what to do.

Suddenly, small wild pokemon started running from the forest. A herd of Rattata, Oddish, Sentret and every possible little pokemon Tamao could imagine were running past her, extremely upset by fear. As Tamao stared at them feeling more scared all of the time, the little pokemon started collapsing, just like Eusine and Crystal had. None of them made it even to the pond, they all just fell down, and looked like they were seeing the worst dreams of their lives.

Tamao managed to get to her feet, but all she could do besides that was watch in horror was more and more pokemon kept running out of the forest, and collapsing right around her, even at her feet. The mist kept getting darker.

For a while, Tamao thought she was about to collapse, probably just out of fear, since it seemed that the mist, for an unknown reason, had no effect on her at all. However, she suddenly saw a flash of red light in the corner of her eye, soon followed up by a yellow flash, and finally a blue shine right in front of her. And before she knew it, Tamao was surrounded by the three legendary beasts. In front of her, Suicune, to her left, Raikou, and to her right Entei.

" Unnn!" she gasped lowly, pushing her hands harshly on her mouth.

Suicune howled, and walked over to her. Tamao just stared at the pokemon into the eyes, when it suddenly bended down. Tamao looked at it for a while, and backed a little.

" W-wait! No way I'm riding you!" she gasped, her voice sounding weak and scared.

Enter made a threatening growl at her, and Raikou started moving anxiously from one leg to the other.

Suicune just looked at Tamao, calmly. But still, Tamao felt like she had no other choice. Even though it annoyed her, she decided to do what they wanted, for now at least.

So, Tamao threw her leg over Suicune's back, and before she knew it, she was sitting on the purple cloud wavering under her.

Suicune took off at an amazing speed. Tamao held on as tight as she could, which was not very much, because her hands were weak due to fear, but she managed to hold on.

Entei and Raikou were running by them with an equal speed. As they kept running deeper into the forest, Tamao could see the mist getting darker in a speed double as amazing as Suicune's. It was like whatever was causing the black fog was coming towards them as fast as the legendary beasts were running towards it.

Even in that horrible situation, Tamao managed to make it worse by wondering why on earth the legendary pokemon wanted to take her to the source of the mist. There was no way she could stop it or anything; she didn't even know what it was!

Suddenly, the beasts stopped. Tamao almost flew from Suicune's back in surprise, but got herself together quite quickly. For a while, the pokemon just stood there on the small treeless area, without moving and inch, with the black mist swirling around them. The only sound that could be heard was Tamao's wildly beating heart.

And then, before Tamao managed to take a calm breath, a deep black ray flew from the forest, hitting Raikou like a whip, throwing the pokemon back, while sizzling horribly as the pokemon roared.

Enter responded faster than Tamao's eyes could follow. It fired a horrifying flamethrower into the woods, where the black mist seemed to be flowing from. The flames swirled from Entei's mouth, somehow seeming to ignore the trees around them, like they were saving all the burning power to the enemy hidden there.

Suicune jumped a little backwards, and Tamao got the feeling it was protecting her, since Raikou got right up, and thick rays of electric started sparking around its tail. It threw its tail forwards, and a huge, sizzling bolt of lighting materialized form it, and disappeared into the woods, swirling around the flames Entei was still firing.

As Raikou kept firing those bolts, and Entei looked like it didn't breathe at all by constantly firing the flamethrower, Suicune stayed back, seemingly conscious of the girl riding it.

Soon, Tamao started hearing sounds from the woods. They were like yelps, roaring and whining, but they had a strange, creepy echo in them. The mist seemed to be getting blacker, if possible. Tamao drew a sharp breath, but that was when Suicune, all of a sudden shook her off its back. Tamao fell to the ground quite gently, and watched as Suicune rushed forward with its mouth open wide, and suddenly a huge, fast blast of water started coming out from it, quickly hitting the goal of Entei's and Raikou's attacks, hiding in the woods.

A terrifying roar filled the forest, and echoed painfully in Tamao's ears. She made a weak scream. And on the moment she did, what she had least expected happened; the roar stopped completely. For a while, only Tamao's now stopped scream was echoing in the woods.

The three legendary beats stopped their attack. For a moment, Tamao thought that Suicune looked satisfied. The three then backed up, and were soon standing behind Tamao, completely still. Tamao looked at them, in a confused panic, until she started hearing lights steps approaching from the woods.

Tamao turned her head forwards, and stared in horror, as all the black mist seemed to concentrate into one shape, approaching her slowly from the forest. The form was of a huge canine, just like the legendary beats. It didn't focus into any details, it just swirled as long, thin legs, a fragile looking body of mist, and a face shaped weirdly, reminding Tamao of every possible canine pokemon she had seen.

The creature kept getting closer and closer, and soon Tamao could have touched it, if she would have reached her hand. She couldn't do it though; she was paralysed by fear.

The creature, whatever it was, tried to come even closer, but Suicune responded to this by firing a beam of rapidly shining bubbles at it, making it yelp. Entei and Raikou growled.

Tamao somehow understood the situation; they wanted her to see the creature, or it to see her, but they weren't going to let it have a chance to hurt her.

The creature turned back to Tamao, after quickly recovering from the attack. Suddenly, the most was starting to fade away from its face, swirling around Tamao. Tamao could only stare as the mist covered the three legendary beats from sight, and it seemed like she was alone in a complete emptiness with this strange creature.

As she stared, two, brightly shining yellow eyes lit to the misty face of the creature. Tamao gasped, though she didn't know what had caused her to do it.

The eyes focused on her, and the look in them was not furious or aggressive. It was… happy? Happy, but still overflowing with sadness.

Tamao stared right into the eyes, and suddenly started feeling dizzy in her head. She couldn't think clearly; her head was spinning wildly, and the only thing her eyes could see were the yellow eyes.

Slowly, Tamao reached her hand towards the creature trying to touch it. For a moment she thought her hand was covered in a dark indigo kimono sleeve. She looked deeply into the yellow eyes, and saw that deep in them, a small flame was burning in each eye.

" Ugh!" Tamao let out, and felt once again like she was about to collapse. Worry appeared in the yellow eyes staring at her, and as Tamao fell backwards, her hand slightly touched the mist. While there was no sensation in her hand whatsoever, the touch caused the memories of ten full years flow back to Tamao's mind, alive and clear.

" No… It's no true…" Tamao mumbled, as she hit the ground. The yellow-eyed creature took a stop towards her, apparently deeply worried about her, and was instantly fired by a hydro pump, flamethrower and thunderbolt. It roared, and the mist started slowly vanishing from it'sbody, and around it.

Tamao's eyes shot wide open, and she reached her hand automatically towards the creature. A horrifying scream came out of her mouth.

" Umbreon!" she shouted with all her power.

And by that, the realization hit her too. As she looked at the vanishing mist, the yellow-eyed creature slowly backed into the woods, becoming invincible as the mist disappeared.

As the forest started clearing up, Tamao finally did what she should have done ages ago; she collapsed to the crowd, and her consciousness slowly faded away, with her last moment awake being spent by the image of what had become of her beloved Umbreon.


	6. Beginning

**Chapter 5: Beginning**

" Tamao! Tamao, wake up!"

The voice of a girl severed the flames burning wildly in Tamao's dreams. She made a long whine, not wanting to wake up. Her head started hurting, but the heat of the flames was already fading.

And as soon as she felt someone taking her hand, the image completely disappeared from her eyes, leasing only the darkness, with a slight light shining in from behind her closed eyes.

Tamao had no other choice. Slowly but surely, Tamao started opening her eyes. She realized she felt like her feet were hanging, and that she didn't feel any grass under her.

That was when her vision sharpened, and she realized, much to her shock and disgustment, that she was in Eusine's arms, being held up.

" Let me down!" she shouted, and Eusine started laughing.

" I'm afraid that is not yet possible. Upon just waking up, the lady would just fall down, and we don't want that, do we?" he told her strictly, with teasing playfulness in his voice though.

Tamao tried to get down herself, but his grip was harsh. She got a glance of Crystal as she did. The girl looked worried, and to Tamao's surprise, her hair and clothes were damp.

That was when she realized that Eusine's, and hers were too. Her back was, in fact, quite wet.

She looked up in surprise, just to notice that the sky was still pink from the sunrise. It was a new morning; she had been in this forest since yesterday. The pond was nowhere to be seen. The ground was wet of the morning dew, and she could hear a Pidgey sing somewhere, probably searching for food.

Tamao's eyes darkened.

" So it really happened," she muttered, and was somehow heard by Eusine.

" Sure was scary, wasn't it? I and lady Crystal were scared to find you gone when we woke up some time ago. For a moment we thought that tat black mist had done something worse to the lady," he said, sounding quite serious.

Crystal looked at Tamao too.

" You sure were far away from us! It took us one hour to find you, while we were checking the forest if you had just left or something," she said, and Tamao felt her eyes becoming one shade darker again.

" I… Didn't feel that bad for a while, so I… tried to find out where the mist came from. I guess this was as far as I got, then," she said, automatically lying. Telling the truth was not an option to her.

" Did you see it at all?" Crystal asked, buying Tamao's lie with no problem.

" No-no… I started feeling dizzy… And there were these… Awful thoughts flowing in," Tamao muttered, not really sure if she'd describe the reaction of the others right.

Eusine was convinced.

" Ah, it was terrible indeed! Not once in my life have I had such horrible dreams. And they all seemed so real too!" he gasped melodramatically, and as he tried to rise his hand, almost dropped Tamao, who made a disapproving shout.

" Let me down!" she shouted again, but Eusine shook his head, this time clearly teasing.

Crystal was the one who got annoyed faster.

" Let her down already! She's just fine!" she snapped, so suddenly Eusine nearly dropped Tamao (again) out of surprise. His face became red, and he did as told.

Tamao found her legs a little wobbly, but managed to hide it. As long as she didn't think about the events of yesterday (she was kind of hoping that they had been a nightmare caused by the mysterious mist), she would be fine. Once she'd get some time alone, she'd try recalling those thoughts and freak out if needed.

" Where are we?" she asked Crystal, with a balanced voice.

Crystal fingered her Pokenav thoughtfully, and then answered.

" It seems that we're way behind the Ruins of Alph. We'd reach them by walking for around an hour… That explains the pond though. There are lots of little ponds and rivers around here," she talked, continuing as the map in the pokenav gave her new information.

" I suggest that we fly back to Ecruteak… I'm way too tired to do anything after yesterday, especially walk for hours. And," she said as Eusine opened his mouth.

" We're not going to run after Suicune today. I told you I'm tired."

Surprisingly, Eusine didn't start arguing, but nodded slightly. He didn't look satisfied, but he didn't object.

Once again, Crystal called for her Dragonite and Noctowl, and soon enough they were gliding through the air, towards Ecruteak city. Tamao couldn't help but to hope that they wouldn't be zapped down this time. The legendary pokemon only seemed to care that she survived, not about how much she'd be hurt in the process of… this, whatever it was.

It was a sunny day, so the flying pokemon were leaving a dark shadow on the ground. Every time they would fly over people, they would lift their eyes to the sky, to see the two magnificent pokemon causing the shadows.

When the tip of the Tin Tower became visible, the fact that she had been out all night really hit Tamao. Her sisters were probably freaking out; she had left her bag there, so they couldn't think she had left. And even she wasn't that rude; she'd tell them when she was about to leave.

Soon enough, the Noctowl turned to a sharp landing, and Tamao had to hold on almost as harshly as when they had been chasing Suicune. Crystal didn't seem moved though; it was apparently a regular landing. The Noctowl probably liked speed and action.

Crystal hit her feet to the ground first. Eusine had landed safely with Dragonite too, and was standing quickly after Crystal, though he still seemed to be sulking. Tamao managed to get off the Noctowl without falling, but it didn't happen as smoothly as with the other two.

Eusine made a snide smile, and Crystal returned her pokemon calmly, thanking them like she should.

Tamao turned towards the two, who were just standing there, looking at her.

" Are you going to the gym?" she asked, knowing the answer already.

" Yeah, we don't have any excuse not to," Crystal answered anyway, and Eusine looked annoyed.

" I might come over later. I need to go apologise my sisters first, though," Tamao explained, and Crystal nodded.

" That's right, you were out whole night, they're probably worried," she realized.

" Could we go now?" Eusine muttered, and Crystal glared at him.

" Well, see you later then," Tamao said as she turned towards the Dance Theatre a few blocks away.

" Later!" Crystal waved her hand. So did Eusine, but with a little less excitement.

So, Tamao started walking towards the theatre. She took fast steps, already wondering what she was going to tell her sisters. It's not like she wasn't allowed to go around, but they probably wondered why she hadn't told them anything.

Slowly, Tamao entered the Theatre, just to notice there was a show going on. Her sisters were on stage, dancing, with their pokemon decorated with flowers. Sumomo in a light blue kimono, Sakura in a purple kimono, Koume in a deep red Kimono, and Satsuki in a yellow, fancy kimono, looking unnaturally gentle, just like it had always been. The only time she managed to look that gentle was when she danced.

The receptionist didn't ask Tamao to pay, because she recognized her. She did not greet her, however. Probably didn't know how to.

The theatre was quite empty, which was not a surprise, since it was the first show; people hardly came this early in the morning. The day and evening shows were probably full booked already.

The stage seemed to be bigger than in the old theatre, now that Tamao really looked at it. At least everything wasn't identical.

The show ended before Tamao managed to sit, so once her sisters had left the stage, she sneaked in from a 'staff only' door, and escaped the room that had quickly become empty.

As soon as she had entered the back room, she felt something bigger than her hit her. After a while of being dazed, she realized that she had been glomped by Sakura.

" Tama! You're alive and back!" she screamed, squeezing her little sister.

" S-Sakura! What are you…?" Tamao gasped, surprised that instead of scolding, she got a hug.

" We thought you were kidnapped! Or used as a bait for Suicune!" Sakura shouted, squeezing even harder.

Those words surprised Tamao, and she looked at her other sisters from over Sakura's shoulder.

Satsuki was brushing her hair, as coolly as ever, but Sumomo and Koume looked relieved while they gazed at her.

" Kidnapped? Bait?" Tamao asked, and Sakura let go slowly.

" It was terrible. All these horrible things kept going through our minds…" she mumbled with teary eyes. Tamao was used to her sister, even after all these years, so it didn't startle her.

Sumomo was the one to respond.

" We heard that someone had seen you talking to Eusine today, and the next thing we heard was that he had flown off somewhere. And since you didn't return, we started wondering whether he had taken you as a hostage or something."

Tamao blinked once, and felt confused. She had forgotten how much her sisters disliked Eusine. She had personally always thought he was annoying, but otherwise he didn't bother her that much. But her sisters, they really despised him. Tamao knew they had always respected the legends of Ecruteak a little more than she had (especially now that she was rather frustrated with them), so obviously a person desperately trying to catch one of them didn't exactly win them over. Adding in his annoying behaviour, and the kimono girls had dubbed Eusine as their sworn enemy. Which was pretty much why Eusine had always loved to play around with Tamao, the one who apparently didn't frighten him at all.

" So it wasn't you then? He didn't take you?" Koume interrupted her thoughts, looking worried.

" Ah! Yes. I mean no," Tamao babbled. A confused look grew on Sakura's, Koume's and Sumomo's face. Satsuki made one suspicious glance at Tamao, then continued to brush her hair.

" Uh… We're you with him or not?" Sumomo finally asked, after apparently having to think after what to say.

" I was with him, all right. But he didn't kidnap me or anything. I went voluntarily," Tamao answered, causing Koume to sigh heavily.

" So after all these years, he still takes the time to bother you? You don't need to go along with it, you know," she then said, sounding disappointed.

" I did have a reason, you know…" Tamao started, but Sumomo interrupted her.

" Yeah, we know. He'd bully you like crazy if you were to disagree. But seriously, he'll stop eventually."

" That's not why! I -!" Tamao started again, this time a little annoyed, and was interrupted by Sakura this time.

" You don't need to hide it. Were not scolding you or anything. We just wish you didn't need to spend time around people like that. We'd be happy to see our sister in better company, that's all."

" Like Morty…" Koume mumbled.

This lead into a dreamy look on each of the girls' face, except Tamao and Satsuki, who were both now staring at their three sisters.

" Yeah, Morty is so cool. He'd be great company to you!" Sakura squealed.

" And he's a gym leader, so you'd be safe around him!" Sumomo agreed, with a high-pitched voice.

" You used to be so close when you were small, why don't you keep any contact anymore?" Koume asked, her voice being high too.

Tamao saw her chance in front of her. She made a smile, as her three sisters were looking at her with starry, hopeful eyes.

" Actually, I was going to go visit him right after I've come to apologise to you. Is that okay with you?" she said sweetly.

The amount of squealing that caused in her sister was amazing, the three were overjoyed.

" Yes! Yes, please do!" Sakura cried out.

" You shouldn't make him wait!" Koume cried happily, and Sumomo kept nodding all of the time.

Satsuki sighed harshly, and got up, about to leave the room. She turned to her sisters.

" We have a show, you now," she said coolly.

Shocked shrieks filled the room, as the three girls quickly started brushing their hairs and correcting their make up. Soon, they were all hurrying to the stage, saying good-bye to Tamao (Koume asked her what she wanted to eat, too).

In the instant they were gone, Tamao walked over to the backdoor (in case the lobby would be full), and exited the building. She walked in the sunny block calmly, knowing where she was going by instinct.

Soon, she saw the roof of the gym. It glittered strangely in sunlight, and Tamao started wondering what it was made of (the roof had apparently been changed too in the remodelling).

While Tamao was walking towards the gym, she suddenly noticed Morty. He looked strange in the sunlight, since Tamao was used to seeing him in the dark gym, and he usually only went outside in the night.

This, and the serious and worried look he had on his eyes made Tamao confused, and they worried her.

Morty turned his eyes towards her, and started walking towards her. He stopped when they were standing right in front of each other, not far from the gym.

Tamao looked up to Morty, and realized how tired he looked.

" Are you okay?" she asked him, and he nodded slightly.

" I was given a message," he said quietly.

" By who?"

" Ho-oh."

Tamao's hands went cold, and she shivered a little.

" Ho-oh gave you a vision?" she asked. This was not usual.

" Yes. Regarding you," Morty answered, and looked her straight into her eyes.

Tamao wanted to turn her eyes away, but she didn't. She owed him that much, after all, he had no escape of the situation.

" What is it?" She asked weakly.

" You are to meet in the top of Tin tower. As soon as possible."

Tamao sighed. Morty looked sad, and raised his hands towards her. However, he quickly drew it back. He looked away.

" I'm sorry," he said.

Tamao was surprised.

" No, it's not your fault. Destiny is destiny, right? You just see things as they are," she told him.

" I guess…" he muttered, and turned his eyes carefully towards her.

" I'll be heading to Tin tower then. I'll come back as soon as possible. Don't worry," Tamao added

" I'll be just fine."

As Tamao turned to leave, she heard a voice from behind Morty.

" Wait."

Morty and Tamao both turned towards the gym, surprised, and saw Crystal standing there.

" Crystal, how long have you been standing there?!" Tamao gasped, as Morty looked at Tamao with a calming look in his eyes. Tamao thought of it as a sign that she hadn't heard much.

Crystal looked troubled, and got a little closer.

" I know it's a little rude to bump in like this, especially because I have no idea what you're talking about, but… You're going to the Tin Tower, correct?" she asked, looking at Tamao nervously.

" Correct," Tamao answered carefully.

Crystal walked up to her, and managed to smile a little.

" I have no idea what you want from there, but the sage probably won't let you through," she said.

Morty drew a sharp breath, and Tamao realized she was right. There indeed was a sage near the tower, who would not let anyone through. Tamao had once, when little, tried to sneak past him, and he had gone scary and talked something about curses.

" Oh…" Tamao mumbled, and looked at Morty, at loss of what to do. His face looked as confused as she felt.

Crystal smiled sadly. She then took Tamao's hand, and placed a small silver bell in it. Tamao stared at the item, and then looked at Crystal.

" It's a clear bell. The sage let me through once, because I had it," Crystal told her.

" Can I… Really…?" Tamao stumbled with her words.

" Oh, go ahead. I'm not going there anymore, so I have no need for it," Crystal told her gently, but for a while, a dark shadow visited her eyes.

Tamao couldn't help but to look down for a while, but she then managed to create a smile on her face.

" Thank you," she said.

" Don't mention it."

Without further ado, Tamao turned once again towards north, where the Tin tower was rising above them. She nodded at Crystal and Morty, then left the two standing in silence.

Without thinking much, Tamao headed for the Tin Tower. She had not gone this all through in her mind; she had not let herself get shocked yet. She hadn't expected the legendaries to take action so soon; she had been sure they'd at least let her go through it all in her mind first. But no. They sure were busy, for pokemon that had lived for thousands of years.

The tower seemed to grow taller and taller, and the sunlight kept getting stronger. Tamao managed to keep the shock and ultimate confusement away, but it came out as a feeling of sickness. She had to hold her breath so she wouldn't fall down. This was not a nice situation at all.

Keeping herself together, but just barely, Tamao entered the building that surrounded the yard of the Tin tower. There were some people there, but Tamao's eyes instantly caught on the sage standing in front of a staircase. She walked up to him with an amazing determinion, when thinking of how sick she felt.

The sage looked at her with a questioning face, but before Tamao managed to start explaining herself, a beautiful chime filled the room. Everyone in the room turned to look at Tamao, who took the glittering bell out of her pocket. It was playing a melody, a melody that seemed familiar, yet very distant to Tamao. No-one said a word; everyone just listened to the magnificent song the little bell was playing, on its own.

Tamao raised her gaze from the bell, meeting the eyes of the sage, who somehow seemed to be moved to tears of the song. He nodded once, and moved over, giving Tamao a free pass to the staircase. Tamao nodded as a thank you, and passed him. She could feel the eyes of the people on her back, but ignored it. If she'd stop now, she might turn around and run away.

Down the stairs she went. There was a door there, probably the only door in the whole city she had never stepped through. Somehow, the way the place didn't bring any memories to her mind made it easier for Tamao to go on. At least there was some relief in the whole crazy scene.

So, Tamao stepped through that door, for the fist time, and ended up outside. A small path lead to the tower. She walked the path, until she stood in front of the magnificent doors of the tower. They looked like they were locked.

But before Tamao managed to try the doors, something in her small bag started shining brightly. She hastily opened the bag, and a small, rainbow coloured feather flew out, shining on the doors. Soon, the doors seemed to bathe in the golden light. A long creek hit Tamao's ears, as the door started slowly opening themselves. Tamao shivered; it got more real every moment.

" _Calm down,"_ she told herself, and bit her lip. She wanted to know what was going on, she wanted to solve it and get it over with, more than she wanted to run away. Barely, but still. This was the only way to go.

The Rainbow Wing fell to Tamao's hand. Probably a sign that she might need it later. As coolly as she could, Tamao put the feather back to her bag, turned towards the door, and stepped in.

The Tin tower was as magnificent from the inside as it was from outside. The walls were full of carvings and picturing of Ho-oh, the legendary beats, and even Lugia. Tamao was awed, as she looked up. The ceiling was so far away it seemed like the roof was engulfed in shadows. If one floor was this tall, the climb to the tower top would be frustrating.

Then, Tamao heard gentle steps from in front of her. She looked, and saw none other but Entei.

For a while, the legendary pokemon and the girl just looked at each other. Then, Entei nodded, and turned to leave, still looking at Tamao. Tamao took of with shaky legs, following the pokemon.

Entei walked up to a beginning of a staircase rising up to the darkness of the ceiling, eventually breaking through it and entering a new floor. Tamao followed without a word. Entei started climbing the stairs. Tamao followed without a word. Entei passed the second and third floor, ignoring them completely. Tamao followed without a word.

Once the two entered the third floor, a familiar sizzling could be felt in the air. Tamao looked to her side, and saw Raikou standing there. The air around it was sizzling with electric rays, but the pokemon didn't look angry.

Entei walked to the Raikou, but passed it. Raikou started following the Entei, still sizzling with electric. Tamao followed without a word.

The three passed five more floors, quietly, with Tamao's heart pounding like crazy, and the back of her mind begging her to turn around, to run away. But she had made up her mind.

And once they reached the ninth floor, they were greeted by a low, calm growl. Suicune.

Now, lead by Suicune, the legendary beats and the confused girl headed to the top of the tower. They passed yet another floor identical to the others, when suddenly, light started filtering from above. Tamao looked up, and saw the light coming from small, small holes on the roof. No more stairs going up were at sight. They had reached the top floor.

The tower top seemed like a long hallway. And there, at the end of the hallway, was a magnificent legendary bird. Ho-oh was standing there calmly, gazing at Tamao while reflecting the colours of a rainbow to the walls around it.

The legendary beasts stopped. Tamao did too, but since they all looked at her expectantly, she passed them, and stopped again. The same look returned to their eyes, and Tamao understood she had to go all the way to Ho-oh. She gulped harshly, and started walking.

It was the longest walk of her life. For a time that felt like an eternity, Tamao walked closer to the legendary pokemon everyone in Ecruteak had been raised to admire the most of all. She was nervous, she was confused, afraid, frustrated and all that. But she walked with strong, falsely sure steps.

She stopped while just a little away from the bird. The magnificent pokemon was looking at her, and could have easily touched her, or swept her away, if it would have wanted.

Ho-oh seemed to smile, even though Tamao was assured that even legendary birds couldn't smile. The pokemon reached its legs, and spread its wings. Tamaos heart started beating faster, faster than it ever had. Fear gripped her whole body, making her completely unable to move, but an odd calmness, a feeling of safety, live din her mind.

As the feathers on Ho-ohs magnificent wings shook juts a little, the room was engulfed in a pure golden light. The three pokemon standing there seemed to gain power, no, energy, every minute they stood in this light. Tamao looked down, and saw that golden sparks had attached to her clothes. She raised her hand, and examined it. It too, was full of small, golden sparks.

The sparks seemed to be getting attracted to her, while the light reached the whole room, probably even the two floors below.

As Tamao gazed at her hand, the sparks suddenly started fading, breaking into a blast of the very golden light, only brighter. For a moment, Tamao was engulfed in a light even stronger than the one that Ho-oh had first let out. Her head felt less heavy, and her thoughts seemed to be getting in order. The feeling of sickness disappeared, and she felt like someone gentle would be healing her in all ways, physically and in her thoughts.

It took long of the light to fade away, but once the room had returned to its usual state, Tamao felt calmer, as if she would have just gone through all her thoughts, gotten over her shock and fear, and would now be completely sure of herself. Even though it did insult her a little that someone else had settled her head fro her, she didn't mind that much. At least she had been saved from some tears.

While standing there, amazed of how legendary pokemon really could do anything, she heard a gentle voice echoing inside her mind.

" Can you hear now?" the voice asked.

Tamao couldn't make out whether the voice belonged to a man or a woman. It was high, but low at the same time. It was friendly, yet full of ruthless power. If she tried to figure it out, she only ended up finding all kinds of opposites in it. A magnificent voice.

And somehow she knew this amazing voice belonged to Ho-oh. The golden light… It had probably been so that she would hear their voices. Arranging her head was maybe just a, necessary, but still, bonus.

Tamao was too awed to talk, so she just nodded. The bird in front of her looked pleased. It nodded at the three legendary beasts behind Tamao. The three came closer, passed her, and went to stand at Ho-ohs sides.

" Do you know why you are here?" the voice asked again, still sounding like a friendly neighbour.

Tamao hesitated, but nodded then, unsurely though.

A new voice, a rougher one, full of twisted notes, filled Tamaos mind.

" Oh come on! You saw it! You saw the Umbreon!" the voice snorted. As it did, Raikou started sizzling with electric, once again. Ho-oh didn't even turn its eyes away from Tamao as it responded.

" Silence."

Raikou looked down, looking more annoyed than ashamed.

Ho-oh spoke again.

" Do not startle the girl, her mind was already a mess, due to your rash actions. I told you not to hurt her, did I not?" Tamao could hear disapproval in the voice. She relaxed a little. So her well-being did matter, at least to one of the legendaries in the room.

Entei moved anxiously from leg to leg.

" Oh come on! We did not do anything wrong! There was no other way to get her there. Besides, the girl is fine; she has a few bruises from the fall, at the worst. There is nothing wrong with her!" It had a powerful, burning and passionate voice.

Ho-ohs eyes seemed to start burning, and now it actually looked at Entei.

" Physically, yes, but you seriously scared her life out of her! Human find it hard to trust the ones who have made them think they are going to die, which is, of course, a good instinct, but very unconvenient for now."

Tamao stood there, and couldn't believe what she was shearing.

There she stood, on the peek of Tin tower, hearing the voices of legendary pokemon in her head, and what did she hear; the legendaries were bickering, about her mind!

Suicune had probably noticed her expression, and turned to look at the three bickering beings.

" She is becoming more scared every moment, if you keep that up," a deep, pure voice with a hint if blueness filled Tamaos mind.

Raikou sizzled with electric, seeming startled, and Entei quickly looked at Tamao, with wide eyes. It looked kind of weird, Tamao had never seen the pokemon actually make an expression.

Ho-oh turned slowly back to Tamao, looking very calm.

" My apologies about that. Sometimes even we have disagreements. This situation is hard on us, too," the first voice filled Tamaos head. She nodded, feeling the shadow of worry returning to her, slowly but surely.

" We have called you here because you are the one best suited to… No, I believe you are the only one with a chance, to solve this issue that has caused several problems and battles fro the past years," the voice of Ho-oh said inside Tamaos head, sounding calm but worried.

" About Umbreon?" Tamao asked, with her voice sounding kind of weak, and amazed of the words she spoke. Her Umbreon was dead, after all.

" Yes, about him. More or less."

Tamao gulped. The legendary beats all seemed to be looking away, and Ho-oh looked troubled. Tamao felt her hands getting cold, and the old nervousness gripped her chest. It was turning into fear.

" Why was he… like that?" Tamao managed to ask, shivering when she thought about the black mist, the canine shaped creature with burning yellow eyes…

" It is complicated. Partly, it is because of me," Ho-oh answered. For the first time, the legendary pokemon seemed embarrassed.

Tamaos heart made an angry bounce.

" What?!" she asked, not yelling, but with unintended furiosity crawling into her voice.

" I did not intend for him to… End up like that. I merely wished to save him from that fire," Ho-oh answered, not seeming to be insulted of Tamaos anger.

Tamao looked, but couldn't say a thing.

" That day… When the theatre burned. I heard his desperate cries for help, not for himself, but a little girl he had gone to save from the fire. She I flew in. The chaos there was so deep that no-one would notice my presence. I landed to the flames, and saw him, struggling not to lose his last strength, still protecting the girl… you."

Tamao gulped. Images of the flames, of Umbreon's burned fur, of the magnificent wings in her dream… They all filled her head, and made her feel cold. Cold, distant, hurt.

" So… I did the same I did with the three next to me centuries ago. Only, something went wrong," Ho-oh seemed to be almost muttering.

Tamao looked up.

" What?" she asked.

"I took him to the burned tower, where I would change him. In order to give him a new form, I had to grant him the powers, so he could survive. This is a process that takes days; the power of a legendary pokemon is more than a human can understand.

However, once the powers had reached him, something unexpected happened. While the others had let me use that power to give them their form, he would take the control of the power – a shattered, weak, and barely lasting control – and escape from me, before gaining form.

We went after him for seven nights, as he ran through the whole region, searching. But no matter where he went, he continued searching. Eventually, he was doomed to realize that what he was searching was not here. So right then and there, we witnessed the pokemon fade away, in the very black mist that was his uncompleted form. We thought he was gone fro good," Ho-oh talked, in a distant, remembering voice.

" For three years, we would live peacefully, until one day, we were told of a black mist surrounding a city near the sea. And there we saw him again; he was not gone.

We tried to persuade him to let us rescue him, but he would not understand us. He would not let us understand us. He could not fully control the power he possessed; yet he would use them to break havoc in certain places.

We knew why he did what he did. He believed the girl he had gone to save had died in that fire. We knew where she, you, were, but stubbornly tried to calm him down. We told him the truth; that once the transformation would be done, he would lose all of his memories of those times, and thus the pain would leave him."

Tamao took a sharp breath. She wasn't very pleased with this. So they were going to rescue her Umbreon, but make him forget who he was? Who she was?

She gripped her hands harshly, and had to bite her tongue to keep down the anger. However, it did not escape the eyes of the legendary Ho-oh.

" I understand that it upsets you, but it is not something I can decide on; once one becomes a legendary, he is reborn," Ho-oh told her in a calm but strict tone.

Tamao was still angry, but somehow calmed down a little.

" It upset him a lot too. He soon turned out to be a threat to all those he had known before the fire; human and pokemon alike. We knew that it'd only be a matter of time before he wouldn't be able to control his anger, or powers, anymore, and something might happen. So, we understood that the only way to calm him for now was to give him what he was looking for."

Tamao gulped. She knew what they meant.

" Me."

" Yes. We located you in Sinnoh, and I left to get you. We were worried that you wouldn't come, but luckily, it seemed that you understood that there was something significant going on. Once you were here, we had to keep you safe, and make sure he would not find you. We did not know what he would do. We feared that he might accidentally hurt you. He does not control his power.

Eventually, we located him, and managed to bring you to him too. We had to show you, and him, how things were. It was the only way for you to understand. It is unfortunate, but he is dangerous, for himself, for you, and your family. Even for this town we are in, and everyone in it. His memories burn his mind, making him unable to choose between the two paths he has."

Tamao didn't understand, and didn't bother to hide it.

" He has to choose between letting go of his memories, or giving up his power. The feelings of guilt he harbours in his heart are the reason to the danger he is exposing to us,"

" Guilt?" Tamao asked, shocked.

" What guilt? He was never…" she muttered, and ho-oh actually looked away.

" It would be the same guilt… That made him rush into the flames, without looking back, to save you that day," the pokemon finally answered.

Everything seemed to go dark. If there had been any clear thoughts in Tamaos head, they all vanished now. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Guilt? Was that what it had been? Had her trusted friend saved her because of _guilt?_

" Guilt… Of what? Why did he feel…?" she fought to say those words, and Ho-oh looked at her with those burning eyes.

" That is what we do not know. I can calm ones' mind, but I cannot see to it. I can sense emotions, but not the thoughts behind them."

Tamao shivered. She felt like she was having a nightmare.

" His guilt is what keeps him in the state he is. The only way to free him from it is to help him to let goof his guilt. And we believe that you are the only one capable of doing so," the legendary bird continued.

" I didn't even know he had guilt in his heart! How on earth could I…?" Tamao screamed, feeling how desperate feelings grew in her heart.

" Because you are the one he rushed to save. You are the one who was always with him. Even if you cannot find the reason to his guilt, surely there is a way for you to relieve it, to help him let go of it, so he can choose his path," Ho-oh answered, in a magnificent tone. The rainbow light became stronger.

Tamao looked down, and felt that she was about to have a break down. Too much. That was what this was, way too much for her.

" So… If he lets go of his memories, he becomes a legendary, lives with you and so on?" she then asked bitterly.

" Yes."

" But if he refuses to forget, yet lets go of his guilt… He'll die, right?"

Ho-oh looked at her, with eyes overflowing with sadness.

" Yes." The answer echoed in Tamaos head.

" Which do you want him to choose?" she asked faintly.

" Which do you want him to choose?" Ho-oh asked gently.

Tamao wasn't sure. Of course, she didn't want Umbreon to die, again, but… If he'd completely forget about her, yet she'd have to live on, knowing his alive, but unable to see him… She didn't want that either. It had been five years, she had mourned his death long ago, but that didn't mean their bond had disappeared. Eventually, she found the best answer to go around the question.

" It doesn't matter. What I want, that is. He should do how he feels is for the best," she whispered.

Once again, Ho-oh seemed to smile.

" That is a good answer. Of course, we do not wish for his death, but we do wish for his best. And we know that you, human child, will definitely take actions that are for his best. But don't worry; we will by your side. We will assist you, protect you and guide you for the whole time, until you friend has chosen his path."

Tamao didn't now if she should say "Thank you" or not. She was confused, and didn't understand. How could she tell Umbreon he had to choose between dying or forgetting who he was? How could she ask him to forget a guilt, who knows how deep? How could she even confront him, after all these years, upon running away from the memories she had of him?

Tamao sighed. She tried to search for emotions in the legendary pokemon in front of her. They all seemed expressionless and somewhat cold. Still, Ho-oh was burning in a warm light, so she felt it was okay for her to ask.

" I'm not sure I fully understand all this…" she said faintly, trying to avoid the gazes of the legendary beasts.

Ho-oh filled the room with the gentle golden light, and for the while they all just stood there in peace. Tamao could feel her heart calming down, but no understanding, no calmness filled her mind.

Ho-oh looked at her gently.

" Well then… I shall tell you what you have heard several times before, only this time with the story where you play a part included too. I shall tell you the truth, I shall tell you the legend."


	7. Legend

**Chapter 6: Legend**

It all started a long, long time ago. I cannot clearly remember how long, since I have lived in this world from its very early days, the days it was still searching for itself.

Me and a fellow comrade of faith and power, known as Lugia to many, had met on our search of a peaceful place to stay. Unlike many of our likes, we were both interested in living alongside with the human, just like the ones we watched over did. Just a few centuries ago it had been unthinkable that human and pokemon could understand each other, but by now, they had already become close, so close nothing could rip them apart. I was harbouring a wish in my heart. A wish that maybe we with power wouldn't only need on each other much longer; maybe, if we'd give the human, too, our protection, they would reward us with their respect. Maybe, a bond could be born too.

The others had laughed at us, but Lugia and I were eager to try it. The human hardly knew of our existence; after all, only a few of them had managed to see us. Because we were just a rumour around them, there was no way they could have proven us their sincerity. The first step was to be made from our side, and they were the ones to respond. That was something we had understood by now.

We found a beautiful town the humans had built for themselves in an area in the west, quite north there. The people there seemed to be one of the people living most harmoniously with pokemon. They had named the area "Ecruteak", and were building various buildings there. It all seemed very nice.

The human were surprised when they saw us. Some of them had heard of us, some of them had never even imagined there might be beings like we were. Their pokemon, instead, knew us by appearance, as every pokemon did. They respected us due to our powers, naturally, even though we had done nothing to them to gain their respect. I wanted to change that; I wanted to earn their respect.

Lugia, and me, we soon chose the human beings who seemed reliable, and I engulfed them in the flames that would not hurt them, the flames that gave them the ability to understand us. Those people soon gained the title of "sages" around the people of that town. When we asked them if we could have a place to stay, they insisted to build us a tower each, because to them, we were something sacred, and deserved magnificent shrines.

That bothered me, but Lugia suggested that we just go with it. There would be plenty of time to earn their friendship later, let them think too highly of us for a while. I did not quite agree with him, but did as he said. I could not come up with any way to decline without hurting the feelings of the excited human.

And not too long from that, not for us at least, but since the human did not live long, it might have been long to them, we had high, magnificent towers. We rested at the top of those towers. However, I felt lonely, with only the few sages visiting me to give me gifts. It felt awkward.

I asked the sages to bring people to me, so I could answer their questions and help them with their worries, and every day life. They were confused, but did as I told. After a while, some started coming to me, but they were nervous, they were scared, they did not know what to say. I still tried my best. Whatever they told me, I answered through the sages. I do not know if I ever helped anyone, but I certainly hope that the burning eyes they had once they left me were a sign of enlightenment, of new gained knowledge.

I decided I would be patient, that I would give them time. And amazingly, it really was the best thing to do. Slowly but surely, people started coming to me for help. I was glad to help them, and they started trusting me in a way I had hoped for, the way I had dreamed of so many years. I was happy.

However, as the time went by, something changed in the human. Most of them were still the same, but strange feelings, thoughts and actions started taking place in their hearts. It was not visible to them, but Lugia and I could sense it. We feared it, not for our safety, but for the ones around them who did not have shadow over them.

One day it all happened. Lugia told me that a person, a man more corrupted than I had ever seen, had come to him. He had asked if he'd become his pokemon, his tool so he could first take this village, and then make the whole world like he wanted it.

Of course, Lugia declined that absurd, ridiculous offer. We were no tools, and neither were the pokemon the man already owned. So, what Lugia then did probably lead into what were to happen. He freed the pokemon of that man, and forced him out of the tower. He left the three poor things into the tower, and flew off to find them a safe place to stay.

The day seemed peaceful after that. Oddly peaceful, and if the stars in the sky would have been visible, they probably would have screamed their warning tome and those who could read them. But the sun was bright in the sky, and I could not foresee the tragedy ahead.

I believe I was just resting quietly, when the feeling of fear reached me. I could hear the screams of the people in the town, and I could feel their horror. But that was not the only thing; I could also feel the presence of my element, fire.

I turned my head, and saw what caused the horror and despair. The tower by mine, the one the human called Brass Tower, the home of my friend Lugia, was engulfed in flames.

For a while I could only stare, I could not understand. However, when I saw the man who Lugia had showed me, the man who had come to see him. He was standing by the tower with a satisfied grimace on his face. And in his hand, there was a torch, a violently flaming torch.

I could understand what was happening now, but I could not stop it. The flames had engulfed the tower, and wouldn't listen to me, even if I told them to stop. They were living highly, dancing happily in the tower.

I was scared at first, but then I remembered that Lugia was not there. He had flown off.

But before I could feel relief, I heard a scream that no-one else near the tower could hear. I could hear that scream full of horror, echoing in the flames in the tower.

That was when I understood completely. The tower was not empty; the pokemon Lugia had saved from the man were still inside.

As the echo of their screams filled my head, I knew there was not much time left. I raised my wings, and took off, right through the ceiling of my tower. As I flew towards the Brass Tower, I could hear the gasps of the people underneath me. It had been a while since I had left my tower.

I had to fly in through the ceiling again. Smoke rose from the hole I made, but I did not care about it. Fire could not harm me.

I soon found the three. They had stayed together, but it seemed that there was no hope for them. The flames were surrounding them, wounding even the one who had grown into its element. The three were siblings, I believe, but they had all gone to separate paths in evolution. One was of lightning, one was of water, and the last of fire. In the past, they had all been alike.

I understood that there was only one thing I could do. Since the flames had already started absorbing their lives, there was no way to stop it. The only thing I could do was granting them a new life, which would change them forever.

I hesitated, but as I looked at their eyes, I saw that it was what the wanted. Not one of them wished to die that night.

So I did something no-one had ever done before; I engulfed them in my flames, the flames that instead of absorbing their lives, granted them power. That kind of power was too huge for their bodies to carry, so it changed them, it made them stronger, so they could stand it, so they could control it.

The three gained power, speed, everything; a new life.

That night, I let the three of them escape to the woods. Lugia had seen the smoke, and it did not take him long to appear. As the people tried to put down the fire, we realized that some of them were not helping, but sabotaging the work of the others. Of course, that one man could not have done it alone.

That made us understand that as it was now, we could not live with the human. Lugia had found a place to live in some islands nearby, and flew there. I myself had to take care of the tree I had rescued.

So, that night, we both left that town, with the people thinking we would never return. We were not going to return either, but we also knew that destiny did not care of what we wanted.

I flew to the forest, and faced the survivors of the fire. They were scared, but they did not regret what had happened. I told them everything would be all right; I would help them.

Another period of short time went by, as I helped the three understand their abilities. However, it seemed that it was hard for them to live near the human and pokemon they had once known, as they thought they were dead. The pain increased every day, so I made suggestion to them.

I could not return them to what they had been, but I could give them time to think it over, in a deep slumber. To my surprise, that was what they wanted. It seems that at that moment, life was so painful for them; they just wanted to escape, yet live on. I saw nothing wrong in that; they would have the rest of eternity to be brave.

So I took them to the remains of the burned tower that night. There, I lead them to an underground room the sages had once used as their home. I let them fall sleep, and turned their body into stone. They would have a long time to clear their thoughts and hearts, until a pure hearted human would come and awaken them from their sleep. That was what we had decided.

This time, a lot of time passed without anything happened. Even to me, it felt like ages. I spent my life hiding, just like I had before the incident. The others had not scolded Lugia and me they had understood. I believe that they too secretly understood the longing that had, no, that still burned in our hearts. However, neither of us was dreaming of one day fulfilling that dream anymore. We had been proven wrong. Even though some human might have accepted us in the way we wanted, there were still ones like that man. Along pokemon too.

So I hid. I hid for generations. I saw several lives born and dying. But nothing special happened, not until I heard a call from the burned tower.

It was a dark night, not nearly as noisy as days were. I was merely flying near the town where we had once lived that had now become a beautiful city. I remember seeing a young human girl enter the tower. Blue hair. That was all I could remember at first.

As I was turning to leave, I heard a familiar call. I turned to look, and what did I see! One of the three pokemon I had rescued years and years ago in the fire, whom the others had given the name Suicune, was running through the woods near that town, following me. And right behind him, were the other two, Entei and Raikou, respectively.

I was overjoyed to see them, especially as happy as they seemed to be. They were running freely after me, seeming to enjoy the speed and the freedom. That was when I knew for sure that I had made the right decision generations ago.

Some more time passed, but not much at all. Maybe just a few sunsets and rises, I am not sure, since my all attention was on Suicune, Entei and Raikou. They were getting used to their freedom and abilities again, and everything seemed to be well. The three had developed an interest to the girl, the pure hearted human, who had freed them. Especially Suicune.

They all met her several times, Entei and Raikou even had battles with her. Suicune did not, though. He believed that she was above it. His respect for that girl was high, and apparently, hers to him was too. She never even tried to capture him, as ones like her, ones they call pokemon trainers, usually did.

Like that, time passed. I was slowly starting to think that I did not need to fulfil the dream I had in my heart; I gained friendship and admiration from the three I had rescued from that fire. And that was more than enough for me.

But even in that happiness, I could not help but to return to that city from time to time. Even with the painful memories, I was still attached to it. So, I would fly over that city every once in a while, just to see how the descendants of the ones who had turned to me with their problems were doing.

On one of those nights, I noticed something was wrong in the instant I approached the city. It was not quiet. It was noisy; the whole city was filled with noises of despair and fear, horror. I was shocked to see smoke rising from the city, just like long ago.

Even though I did not try to hide myself, no-one noticed me. The people were all concentrated in trying to put out the flames on a building. However, total chaos was reigning there; the people could not work right.

I circled around the city a few times, struggling to decide whether I should help them or not. If there was no-one hurt, then…

But that was when I heard a cry, once again, echoing in the fire. A cry of a desperate voice. But this voice was different from the ones I had heard before. I didn't know what it was, but I knew something was different now.

Even so, I flew to the burning building, and entered it. Not one person outside seemed to notice. Of course, even if they would have looked, I would have managed to camouflage myself with the flames, but I didn't need to. Like said, nobody saw me.

Inside, I immediately found the one who had cried. A black pokemon, usually called Umbreon, trying to protect a small girl from the flames with his last strength. The girl seemed to be losing her consciousness. She had probably inhaled a lot of smoke, even though she still seemed unharmed by the flames. The Umbreon, however… He would not last for long.

The Umbreon looked at me with a meaningful gaze, and I understood what he wanted.

I took charge of the flames, as much as I could, and told them to move aside. Once that happened, the Umbreon started gently pushing the girl to the other side.

As she crossed the place of the flames, I did everything I could to keep the flames from burning her. Once she was over, I let the flames go.

The Umbreon looked terrible. His fur was burned and dirty, his eyes were dim and his breathing seemed to be painful. But he was still alive, and I knew what I had to do.

Just like once before, I started giving him power, juts a little, so he could survive. When no-one was looking, I exited the building with him on my back, and took him to the burned remains of the tower where Lugia had once lived. Suicune, Entei and Raikou were there already; they had sensed my thoughts.

Not long after that, I started giving the weak pokemon more and more power, granting his survival, but also slowly turning him into a much more powerful being. For days and days we would just be still there, I processing the change, he changing, and the others watching, worried.

However, as I was changing him, probably on the fifth circling of the moon after I had found him, his eyes suddenly shot open. His heart started pounding faster, faster and faster. As I tried to calm him, he suddenly jumped up, still incomplete, and rushed away from the building before any of us could do anything to stop him.

For a while, we were all awed. Then, I told Suicune, the fastest one of the tree, to follow the poor pokemon. He set off instantly, and we went right behind with the others.

For that full night, and six more, barely resting on days, we roamed through the whole region in the west. He would run, searching, and we would follow. Eventually he stopped, as if lost. He had not found what he was looking for, I knew.

He had used up a lot of the power he hardly controlled during that time. And once we tried to talk to him, he would just fade away in front of our eyes, like he would have never been there. We understood that it really had been too late for him.

Everything went as it had before the incident for three years. Three years, and nothing bothered us. No disasters, no deaths significant to us. I sometimes felt a little anxious because of the Umbreon, but I always shook that feeling off before it fully took over me.

Three years later, we were confronted by the guardian of the nearby forest. She told us, that there was a strange black smoke, or mist, surrounding that faithful town. She had never seen anything like it, and was not sure if it was safe for her to enter.

I told her to leave it to us. I knew that there was only one thing it could possibly be.

Despite my words, I told Suicune and the rest to stay behind. I did not want to expose them to any danger.

Yes, I went alone. Alone, I flew once again to that faithful city, to confront the Umbreon I thought had died.

The poor being was there. Surrounded by a smoky mist, that shady, fragile being. He was still desperately searching. I could feel guilt in his heart, for the first time. I had not understood him at all so far; now I could feel it clearly.

The howls he made were of pure guilt, the painful memories that leaked into my mind due to his uncompleted form were all caused by guilt. Coloured in guilt, lead by guilt, made by guilt. This being felt so guilty, it made me believe I was the one guilty for it. It was amazing, terrible.

When he saw me, his shining, yellow eyes were full of desperate hope. He hoped I might know where she was; I saw it now clearly in my head; the images of that young, pure girl kept flowing into my head. Once I looked into the Umbreons eyes, I learned to know this girl. Soon, she was like an old friend to me. I knew her voice, the touch of her skin. I saw her hair flying with the wind when let free, I heard her talk in her sleep, I saw her smile. I felt sad, I felt guilty. I understood that he had to find her.

But I also knew that letting the two meet was not an option. The girl had left long ago; she could be anywhere in the world right now. The Umbreon had changed too much, he possessed too much power to face his guilt, or he might end up hurting her by accident. And I didn't even want to imagine what would happen if he hurt her.

I flew to him, and spoke to him, with calm words, but could not hold back the sadness in my voice. I had learned it through Suicune, Entei and Raikou; once one became like us, he could not keep his memories. The three had not realized it, but they had been on peek of breakdown by the time I had turned them to stone. Even I had not known it then; I had learned it with the wisdom I gained after that. They were lucky to be able to keep their memories without suffering from them, and that was just because so many of those distant memories were painful.

I told him he could be free of his guilt; he could break away from the reason to search for that girl. Since once he would come with me, he would completely break free from his old life. The images, feelings and sounds of that girl would completely disappear from his heart, and he'd be free. Besides life, I offered him freedom.

But he did not like it. What I said upset him, and instead of answering me, or following me, he howled and attacked me. I could dodge him easily, and push him back, but he was enraged, as if I would have threatened the life of that girl haunting his mind.

The mist seemed to increase, and I could feel the anxiousness in the sleeping people of the city growing. I could feel nightmares, memoirs of the worst days of their lives, filling their heads. It was his doing, and it could have been on purpose, I was not sure.

That was when Suicune appeared from the woods. He attacked the Umbreon wildly, tackling him with all his might. The fragile being seemed to vanish for a moment, but the mist gathered again to grant him a new form. He howled again, and tried to attack back, but fell before he managed to do anything. He was weak, weakened by wasting his energy, and from Suicunes attack.

The being made one furious glare at us, and vanished, with the mist fading away too. In a moment, everything was peaceful, the citizens dreaming sweet dreams like they had. Like nothing would have happened.

Several dawns flew through since that. A time that short had never felt so long to me. Every night, the Umbreon would appear near the city, and try to fight us when we came near. He was furious, felt guilty, and desperate.

But he also started becoming somewhat stronger, as the anxious feelings grew in him. He also became bolder, and soon he started walking the city too, and not just near it. He would go to the burned building and search them. He would search the places I had seen in his memories. He became braver; more eager to find what he was looking for.

And on the night he actually approached a human sleeping in her room, in a building identical to the one that had burned down, we understood that we had no choice anymore; he was becoming more and more dangerous. We had to find a way to rescue him.

But we understood that that was beyond our power. Since the only one who could rescue him was the one he was searching for; that girl in his memories.

It took us only three dawns to find her. The prince of the sea himself lent us a hand; and soon found her in a land far away in the north.

We did not know what he could do, so we decided that first, we had to get her here. We'd somehow have to make the two meet, yet not expose the girl to any danger, or our chances of saving him would be doomed. And once the girl would understand the situation, then we would know what we could do. What could be done.

-----

Ho-oh turned his head to Tamao as he stopped talking. His eyes were hazy, after remembering things so painful, even from so long ago. The girl he had talked about, the girl whose hair had once flown with the wind, stood there right in front of him with eyes full of pain. She was taller than in the memories he had gained from that Umbreon, her expression was more mature. Her voice was fuller, more experienced, and yet more modest. Her hair was cut shorter, and was standing still on her shoulders.

But it could still have flown with the wind.


	8. Guilt

**Chapter 7: Guilt**

Once the magnificent legendary bird had finished his story, Tamao could just look into his eyes. She couldn't hide the pain the story had caused in her; just the mere thought of the word 'guilt' made her want to weep her heart away.

Ho-oh seemed to be thinking about something while looking at her. He had spoken of her as if she would not have been the girl in the legend, why, she was not sure. Maybe she had changed so much during these five years Ho-oh didn't count her… Wait, he had mentioned her current self too; they had located her in Sinnoh.

The more Tamao thought about it, the more confused she became. However, it wasn't bad; tangling on a small detail like that took her mind off the actual point, the sad story she had heard, lived and was still a part of.

Why was her life this sad? It had been sad enough to get over the death of her own pokemon, and now she had been brought back to the region full of painful memories, just to hear of the pain her pokemon, miraculously brought back from the death, was experiencing, and inflicted with the pain of choosing his destiny for him. It seemed ridiculous, unfair, and cruel.

But for once, running away was not an option for Tamao. This wasn't about the world she didn't really care of. This wasn't about some people she didn't know. This was about Umbreon, the Umbreon who had taken care of her when she was little, the Umbreon who had shared the years she had been completely happy with her. The Umbreon she had known had guilt because of her; she was more than ready to erase it.

This was something personal and painful, but something Tamao wanted to do. This was about her sisters too; they'd be in danger if she'd escape. She didn't want to end up losing them too; she was sad enough already.

Besides, it appeared that other legendary pokemon knew of this situation too. So wherever she'd go, there'd be a legendary pokemon to track her down. She wouldn't be able to hide anywhere.

So, this left her just one choice; she had to do whatever these pokemon told her to, find Umbreon, tell him to forget his guilt and move on with her life, again. It wasn't pleasant, but it was the only reasonable way to go.

Tamao looked at the Ho-oh again. The pokemon was still looking at her patiently, probably giving her time to think things over. As Tamao gazed over him, she saw that Suicune was the only calm one of the legendary beasts. Raikou seemed anxious, he kept jumping from leg to leg. Entei just glared slightly when Tamaos eyes met his. Tamao looked back without turning away. She was too exhausted to be shy or careful.

It was Entei who eventually looked away. Raikou glared at Tamao instead, but Suicune made a meaningful glance towards him, so he turned away too. Tamao looked down. It was stupid to mess around with legendary pokemon, she knew it. But she couldn't be expected to think very warmly of them; after all, they had zapped her down from the sky without any regret. Sure, she had not been in danger, but that didn't mean it had not hurt.

Ho-oh didn't seem to mind the tension between them. He just gazed at Tamao, and waited. Tamao realized that it was her who would have to get the situation moving.

" So what do I do now?" she asked, with a balanced, blank voice. Ignoring her sometimes being unable to, she was actually pretty good at hiding her feelings. Even though she knew that Ho-oh probably sensed her feelings, it made her calmer when she was hiding. And right now, that was all she wanted; to calm down, and calmly try to understand.

" We have put some thought into it. We believe it would be for the best if you joined the man who constantly hunts Suicune," Ho-oh answered in a tone as calm as Tamao wanted to be.

" What? Eusine? Why?" Tamao gasped, more than slightly surprised.

" So that we can keep you aware of what is going on. We cannot keep you with us all of the time, can we now?"

Tamao agreed silently.

" That man always knows the whereabouts of at least one of us. Therefore, contacting you and leading you where we need you would be easy," Ho-oh finished.

It made sense. Actually, it was a relatively good plan. As expected, from a legendary pokemon who had lived for… who knows how long.

But still, that wasn't enough. That was only for the time being, what about the future?

" And what will I do once I meet with _him_ again?" straight to the point again. No point in beating around the bushes with these guys.

Ho-oh looked down, not sheepishly, but meaningfully. Then he turned his head wildly, gazing up. Tamao followed his gaze, and saw small sparkles shining against the dark roof. Ho-ohs wings were spread, and small, small sparkles flew upwards from them, only so they could down like snowflakes.

I took a while for Tamao to realize that the shiny sparkles were falling down in a single, gold-coloured bag on the floor, right in front of Ho-oh. When she did see it, she understood what they were. Ash.

The bag slowly filled with these sacred ashes. Once it was full, Ho-oh flapped his magnificent wings once, and the wind made the bag slide to Tamao. She bended down, and took it up. The ashes sparkled in the golden light shining from Ho-oh, and Tamao felt tingling in her fingers as they rested on the open bag, touching the ash.

Sacred ash. She had heard of this mysterious item from a sage once. The ashes were from the sacred fire of the legendary Ho-oh itself, and were said to possess the power to heal anything. When on contact with a wound, their powers would heal every single injury, sickness or condition the person might have. Rumours said that many lives had been miraculously saved with these ashes.

Tamao looked at Ho-oh. She had a feeling healing wasn't the only thing these ashes could do.

Ho-oh looked gentle. However, Tamao did not feel calm or convinced.

" I believe you know what those ashes can do. Partially, at the least. However, on special situations, those ashes can do a lot more," the legendary phoenix said mysteriously.

" And what would that be?"

" That I cannot say for sure, it is different from time to time. But I can tell you this; spread a little of those ashes on one not wounded, one with the desire of protecting something, and a miracle will occur. At least, for a short while," the pokemon answered mysteriously, so mysteriously it frustrated Tamao.

" Anyone with a desire to protect?" she asked, in an angry tone.

" In a situation where the something needs protecting. And I would believe the effect is stronger with a pokemon than a human."

" So whenever I meet Umbreon I have to endanger something someone wishes to protect, and throw these at the someone? That's kind of…" Tamao started, with no hint of hiding her feelings. What she said wasn't contacted to her feelings, though; she could guess the answer of the legendary pokemon.

" I would believe you do not need to search. Those pokemon in your bag," the legendary pokemon gazed at the shape of a pokeball in Tamao's bag.

" They would do anything for you, would they not? If you were to be in danger…" the sentence faded before finished.

Tamao was not shocked; she had seen it coming, but she was angry and displeased. Why wasn't it enough to hurt her Umbreon and her, now they had to hurt her other pokemon too? She didn't want to involve those three. Leafia and Murkrow didn't have anything to do with her past. Glacia was in no way guilty of what happened to her brother.

" So that'd be my only defence in case of danger?" she asked, while gripping her hands so hard it hurt.

" That, and us. Every being you human call 'legendary pokemon' has been informed of this. Every such being is ready to keep you safe in case they find you in danger. However, you cannot always depend on one of us being close by; there are not that many of us," Ho-oh answered, ignoring the anger in Tamao's voice, once again. Probably a "let the girl express her feelings" way of thinking.

" Right," Tamao muttered. No point in talking back; it probably was the only way. Even if she didn't like it, she'd probably have to accept it for now. That didn't mean she had to use their method; she could always avoid it by all cost.

" _I guess that's all that I need to know, but…"_ Tamao thought, but suddenly a new question rose to her mind. Normally she might not have asked it, but now she felt like these legendaries owed her the answer. No, not to her. To someone else.

" I want to ask you something," she said aloud. It was not a question.

" Please do."

" Why did Crystal's destiny disappear? It has something to do with you, right?" she asked, not knowing how not to sound insulting. But she had to know. No going around it; she wanted to know. Morty wanted to know. Crystal had the right to know.

" That is not something I can tell you now, not here," Ho-o answered. His expression was blank.

" But -!" Tamao started, but the legendary shook his head.

" I cannot tell you something I cannot be sure of. Maybe someday, in the future."

So that was it. Tamao looked down, not sulking, not ashamed, but disappointed. And slightly confused. Why did she even have to ask? She had enough to worry about on her own. But still… Even though it was none of her business, it was something she would have wanted to know in Crystal's place.

And she hadn't forgotten that it had happened around the same time as the fire. The fire might have been destined to happen (Morty would have mentioned if there would have been something weird in it), but it was still suspicious. It could always be that…

No. What were the odds? No way. She was thinking too much again. There was no point in her starting to add crazy things to her now crazy life. There was enough to do. There was so much she had to do… This was not the right time.

To get something to do, right now, Tamao tied up the pouch of the ashes, opened her bag, and put the pouch in. She had a hidden pocket inside, just big enough. That'd be a place safe enough for the mythological item.

" You wish to leave," Ho-ohs voice said. Not insulted, not hinting, but just said. Like Tamao's wishes were common knowledge.

" I believe I know enough for now. I'm tired and angry, so I'll be no good for you. I'll ask Eusine to take me with him the next time he leaves town. Does that satisfy you?" Tamao asked, while turning to leave. The more she thought about getting away, the more eager she was to.

" We are satisfied. You will hear from us once we need you," Ho-ohs gentle tone said, while Tamao had already turned her back.

She walked towards the stairs, without turning her back. She didn't look at the legendary pokemon, not once. She just walked away from the room, simply. She walked down the first stairs. Simply. She walked down the second stairs. Nothing happening. She walked down the third stars. She stopped, and tightened her grips, to hold back tears.

Guilt. Guilt? Guilt?! That's what it had always been?! GUILT?!

All those years Tamao had ran around this town, happily as ever, had the pokemon by her side been there just because of guilt? Had he battled for her, taken care of her, protected her, kept her company, stayed by her – all because of something like guilt? All that time she would have done anything for him; she cared for him so much there was nothing she wouldn't have done for him. He seemed to feel the same way, yes – but because of guilt? Why…?

The gentle voice of Ho-oh crawled into Tamao's mind.

"_Those pokemon in your bag, they would do anything for you, would they not?" _

Yes. Just like she would do anything for them, they'd do anything for her. Was that because of guilt too? Did she make everyone around her so guilty they just had to fight for her, to risk their lives for her? Why?

No. That wasn't it. Guilt might've been Umbreon's reason to rescue her from that fire, but it couldn't be the reason Leafia, Glacia and even Murkrow stayed by her side even to this day. After all, they weren't the only ones in this situation. Almost every single trainer in the world was in a similar situation. The pokemon of the trainers stay by their trainers, and fight for them with no doubt. And surely not every pokemon in the world is feeling guilty for something.

Tamao took a deep breath. Guilt. Yes, she could easily say the word in her mind. However, it was harder not to weep when she did. She couldn't go to her sisters like that. It'd be no good if she'd start crying; everyone would just get worried and start asking her what's wrong. And what would she answer to that?

" Oh, it's nothing; it's just that the legendary pokemon Ho-oh himself told me that Umbreon saved me from the fire because of guilt. He was apparently harbouring a deep feeling of regret towards me, so that's the reason he did what he did. Oh, and he didn't even die; he was resurrected into a half-legendary pokemon slowly fading away, and I'm the only one who can save him, which sucks because I have no idea what I have done to make him feel guilty, so I have no clue how to do it. See? No biggie. I'm sorry for worrying you," Tamao muttered aloud, angrily, and shivering of frustration.

It sounded stupid, farfetched, annoying, and most of all, sad. It was so truly sad, so real, that even though it was so random, it made her afraid. She wanted to run away, yet she wanted to do exactly what was told. She wanted to forget about it, yet she wanted to make it happen. She wasn't even sure what she wanted anymore!

" _Agh, whatever,"_ Tamao thought all of a sudden, with her mind numb from the sadness. It was like someone would have turned a switch, and so turned off her sadness and strong feelings in general. She wiped her eyes, and started moving on, walking down the stairs.

She was getting so tired; even her feelings didn't work well. Slowly, her sadness was getting hidden behind the logical, rational thinker in her head.

Obviously, she didn't need to think about all this now. She'd just push away all the feelings she was feeling right now, and recall them on a better time. Now was time to work, not to weep.

She'd walk down the stairs. She'd go to the theatre, and tell her sisters she was going to go around Johto, to see how it has changed. They'd get all excited, and start giving her handy items she might need.

Then, with her bag packed, but with most clothes left back with her sisters, so they wouldn't fear she might leave without telling them, she'd go back to the gym. She'd tell Morty everything he needed to know (not everything, but it'd be unfair to leave him completely uninformed of the situation), and then go straight to Eusine and offer him help in his quest. He'd be shocked confused, wouldn't be able to say a word at first. Crystal would probably try to turn her off, but would look oddly delighted. Then Eusine would start talking about random… whatever he speaks with that fancy tone, she never listened, unless his speech had a point. Then they'd agree to take her with them.

Oh, and if they wouldn't be in the gym, she'd just search for them. They couldn't be that hard to find; and if it would take her too long, Suicune would probably lead them to her. It was that simple.

So now, with her mind completely focused on action, working, and with every slightest hint of feeling locked up for the time being, Tamao stepped out of the Tin tower.

She was briefly surprised to see that the sun would soon start setting (she had not realized she had been in the tower that long), but quickly pushed that emotion off her mind too. It could unlock the more awkward feelings in her, she could loose control if she wasn't careful.

As Tamao was walking towards the theatre, she suddenly saw a familiar person walking towards her. At first, she couldn't really react, but soon enough she managed to fake a smile, and stop. She waited, as Morty slowly walked to her.

" Hello," he said merely, as he stopped by her.

" Hi. What might you be doing here? Shouldn't you be at the gym?" Tamao asked automatically, and Morty's eyes flashed meaningfully.

" I was worried about you," he said, and looked at her kind of sadly.

" Oh, why? I'm totally fine…" Tamao started, but her voice broke. She put her hands on her mouth, and closed her eyes.

Just her luck. In front of her sisters, who had no clue of what was going on, she would easily have stayed calm. She had been prepared to that. But facing Morty needed more preparing; after all, he knew, if not everything, a lot. She wasn't ready for that yet.

" You sure look like it too," Morty said sarcastically, but his tone was not mean. Tamao knew better than to get insulted.

" I'm sorry… I needed more time," she muttered, as she had to squeeze her eyes shut, to stop the tears from coming. There was no reason to cry. Absolutely no reason to cry.

" You do have a reason, you know," Morty's voice said calmly, soothingly.

" Sometimes I don't believe you when you say you can't read minds," Tamao muttered, and could see Morty's smile in her mind.

" I don't need to read your mind. I wouldn't even need to know you to guess what you're thinking."

" I'm easy to read?"

" I wouldn't say that… But when you're about to cry, you're more open than usually."

" Geez, Morty, I'm not going to cry! That'd be just stupid. People cry when they are sad, and I'm not sad enough for weeping. I'm just so…" Tamao's voice broke again, and she took a deep, wheezing breath.

" …darn frustrated!" she finished, almost shouting, angry.

Morty didn't say anything, probably so Tamao could get herself together. Slowly, she opened her eyes, slightly red, but not overflowing with tears. She looked at Morty, with a serious expression.

Usually Tamao would have gotten embarrassed if someone had seen her in the sate she was in. It wasn't anything new; she had always been like that. There were certain feelings she had never wanted to show everyone. But Morty was different.

She had only really got to know him when she was seven years old, until that she just knew him as the gym leader, or the 'mystic seer of the future'. But after the day she had learned more of his gift, he had become very interested in her. He had often come to greet her, and eventually they had become friends.

But it wasn't as simple as that. By time, their friendship had become stronger, until it became a friendship equal to what Tamao had shared with her Umbreon. She had not wanted to cry in front of Umbreon either, but it would have been unfair to hide in front of Morty. She had seen him in a condition he wanted to hide, so it was just fair to let him see her in her worst state.

Even now, Tamao still thought that. Besides, there was something about his calm personality that made it easier.

" It's troubling you know," she told him, and he knew what she meant.

" You could try stopping to hide them at all, that'd make it easier," Morty answered, knowing what she'd answer.

" No."

Morty smiled a little.

" I'm not forcing you to make an exception on my part, you know," he said, sounding worried.

" Yeah, yeah. You don't want to trouble me," Tamao said, and looked at the Tin tower, and the sky that was slowly being dyed to red behind it.

" But it'd be unfair. I'll rather be troubled than unfair."

" You're kind," Morty said silently, not meaning to be heard, but Tamao picked it up anyway.

" No, I'm not. I just do what one is expected to do. People shouldn't put theirselves before others, right?" she told him.

" Then you mustn't have heard, that some selfishness is okay too," Morty answered, sounding amused in a serious way.

" Where goes the lien between 'some' and 'too much'? But ignoring that, it's not like I usually act very selflessly. I still might run away from this, you know."

" You won't."

Tamao turned to look at Morty. His face was knowing, and sure. She smiled.

" That's good to know," she said.

For a while, the two just stood there. Then Tamao chuckled.

" You're right," she said, sounding amused and surprised.

" Well, one who can see the future usually is. But what might you mean?" Morty asked, looking at her with an expression full of surprise, but relief.

" I really am more open when I'm about to cry," Tamao answered, and looked him into the eyes.

" Certainly, it's rare to hear you speak so much of your thoughts," he said carefully.

" Let's not do this again," Tamao told him with a smile, and he winked.

" Never again. And we'll pretend we spent this whole while talking about the weather," he continued.

" Sure. It'll be a lovely sunset," Tamao laughed, and looked up.

She was relieved. She was in control again. She was able to push away those feelings without acting all robotic. It was amazing that she could do it; for a while she had thought this was too much for her.

" Oh, by the way, did Eusine leave already?" Tamao asked happily, not because of the subject, but because of her successfully being able to feel calm.

" They really _do_ want you to travel with him, do they?" Morty asked, with his face covered in a fake horror.

Tamao glared at him.

" Oh come on; it is an important part of your destiny! Obviously travelling with him is the wisest thing to do!" he said, seeming troubled. It was probably fake too.

" I'll settle with that answer for now. But once we have time, you'll have to tell me every little detail you've seen about my destiny," Tamao muttered, looking at him suspiciously.

" Agh. Spare me, I beg you," Morty whined, pretending to be scared.

He then became more serious, but not too much. Just serious enough.

" He's still I the gym. He's eager to leave, but Crystal demands that they stay overnight."

" Good. Make sure they won't leave before I come over tomorrow."

" Oh, they won't leave. I locked them in."

" WHAT?" Tamao asked, shocked.

" I locked the door from inside too. You know, to keep the thieves out…" Morty started, but Tamao glared at him.

" You can't lock people in!" she shouted.

" They won't notice it until I get back. Oh, come on," he added.

" Eusine does stuff like that to me all of the time. Or tries, at least."

" It's still weird." Tamao shivered. Then she looked at them suspiciously.

" Why did you lock them in? You're going right back, aren't you?"

" Actually, I was thinking about coming with you. I haven't seen your sisters in a while," Morty said cheerfully.

" Oh, really?"

" Well, I also thought you might need some help convincing them about your trip. They might fear that you'll leave."

" I already have a plan for that," Tamao told him, but Morty smiled eerily.

" True. But it'll be faster to convince them if we tell them that I suggested this to you, won't it?" he said, sounding weirdly excited.

Tamao sighed.

" You little liar," she muttered.

" It's a good plan, isn't it?" Morty laughed.

" Sure… But it's a little cruel."

" It's not!"

" It is."

Tamao was smiling now. She had been prepared for some persuading, but Morty would make it easier.

" Fine then. Let's go," she said, oddly cheerfully. Morty looked cheerfully too.

Tamao took the first few steps. Ecruteak still made her feel strange, but now that she had felt stranger, she knew she might be able to overcome it, just until she'd get this all over with. She'd be able to return to Sinnoh… But she would come over to Johto more often. She had been a little mean, not keeping any contact with Morty.

As she walked on, Morty stayed back for a while. As Tamao turned to ask him what's wrong, she thought she saw a strange, sorrowful expression on his face for a split second. However, it was gone, replaced with a cheerful smile, before she could be sure.

Mort started walking too.

" I'm sorry. I was lost in my thoughts for a while," he said, sounding apologising.

" Oh, okay…" Tamao mumbled, but couldn't help but to feel suspicious.

But as Morty started cheerfully chatting with her, she couldn't help but to ignore it, and eventually forget about it. So, like that, the two headed for the new Dance theatre. Tamao was wondering what Morty was going to tell her sisters, but she wasn't worried. After all, Morty only ever pulled pranks on Eusine.

Underneath her cheerful cover even she couldn't see through, a powerful feeling was tightening its grip on her heart. A deep, sorrowful feeling, a feeling she didn't quite understand, even though she was feeling it even now. A feeing that hoped to change everything, a feeling that had never been stronger than now, even though she couldn't see it.

Guilt.


	9. Plot

**Chapter 8: Plot**

How did it even come to this? Surely everyone knew there was something fundamentally wrong with this moment, this split second from the mid of a battle. But not just any, everyday battle; a faithful, blazing battle surrounded by an unnatural darkness. On the moment that attack flew towards her, the girl could remember her whole life. No, she could more than remember; it was like she was reliving it all. But reliving didn't mean actually participating it; it was like she'd be watching closely over someone, whom she simply knew as "me".

She could see her happy, childhood years, she could see the dreams she had long ago. She could see the ones she cared for, and could see them caring for the girl she was watching, the 'me' from whose eyes she was watching from. Happiness, joy, the way it should have continued, always… But she could also see the darkness of the recent times.

This was definitely not how it should have been. This image was completely wrong. Just look at it; the girl who soon will take a hit is one of the famous black-haired kimono girls, known for their dancing and elegance. She had been a star since she was born, and lived her life dancing and sharing happiness with her beloved Umbreon.

Then what on earth was this? Why was that kimono girl now in the middle of a strange battle held in the dusk coming from a being, hardly a pokemon, whom she called Umbreon? Why was she laying there on the ground, horror in her eyes, as she watched the attack come closer, while asking all this from herself? Why?

Why? Tamao had millions of questions in her head, but that was the one she most deeply wanted an answer to. Even now, that question echoed in her head. Why…? Why… and how?

While her life replayed itself in front of her eyes, Tamao couldn't see the answer, not even in the latest events. How did it come to this?

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The sunset was indeed beautiful. Even though Tamao hardly had the time (or personality, at that) to appreciate the beauty of nature, she couldn't help but to notice that wonderful, crimson sky slightly dyed in gold by the last shine from the sun. The shadows on the ground had scarlet linings, and the windows reflected a deep orange back to the people slowly returning inside, from the way of the cold of the night.

Yes, it was beautiful. Purely beautiful; there was no melancholy hidden in that sunset. It was just another natural event, which had decided to take a magnificent form.

Yet not everyone walking under that sunset was as purely happy or magnificent. A certain former kimono girl, for example, might have been hiding it well, but she was not feeling very wonderful, let alone magnificent.

As Tamao walked towards the new dance theatre with Morty, she couldn't find a reason to make her cry now, but she could find a thousand reasons to do it later. Her life had taken a sad turn, all right. Or rather, it wasn't really a sad turn; it was like she would have been given a break from her previous sad turn, and it was as late a snow that she would get over that part of her life, and then move on.

She could not wait for the 'moving on' part. Or rather, the part after that. Getting over something was never fun, but the time after it were lovely and relaxed. Free, rather. Oh, how she longed that time now. Sadness and frustration… who came up with those stupid feelings anyway?

Can a human get used to pain? If so, that was probably happening to Tamao, or so she thought. Being able to think about her own, sorrowful feelings this freely could mean that she was in shock, or something like that, but she preferred the possibility of getting used to it. After all, then it wouldn't matter what was in front of her; she'd be able to easily deal with hit, right?

Great. She was being optimistic now. And that was all that she needed. After all, there was no point in screaming in her own head and feeling depressed. She'd accomplish a lot more if she just kept her head cool, and looked at the bright side of things. Whatever they were; right now Tamao couldn't find any.

But, she was being optimistic. And that was all that mattered. Whether she had a reason to do it or not, she was still doing it. And that was finally it.

Morty probably realized she was concentrating on getting a grip, since he didn't interrupt her thinking. It was weird how understanding he was. Sometimes Tamao couldn't help but to think he was suspicious, but always ended up with the conclusion that rather than suspicious, he was just creepy. And so be it; the creepier the person she was with was, the more normal she felt.

Speaking about creepy, Morty's plan really gave her the creeps. He had explained it to her just before she got lost in her thoughts again. The plan itself was quite simple, but there was something that really made Tamao feel uncomfortable. And that something was how manipulative Morty could be when he wanted. Did he do it to her without her noticing, too…? No. He did do it, but she noticed it every time he did, she was sure of it.

The dance theatre wasn't far ahead. They had already passed the black remains of the old one, so it was just a matter of minutes until they'd be there. The more she thought about it, the more nervous she got. Morty would be able to pull it of, but would she? This seemed so ridiculous…

But it was too late to tell Morty to turn back. The dance theatre was in front of them, and Tamao had slightly seen the curtains on the window move. Just slightly, as someone peeked from behind them. Probably Sakura; she had always been endlessly curious.

Morty smiled widely, so that only Tamao could see and understand how eerie it really was. Anyone else might have said he was just happy, cheerful, excited… Anything but eerie. But Tamao knew what he was plotting.

Morty knocked the door, surely but eerily. Everything he did right now was so eerie!

" You don't need to knock, you know. I have the key," Tamao told him, hiding her troubled feelings.

Morty laughed.

" You could have said that earlier," he told her, but didn't sound accusing.

Tamao didn't even hear any steps approaching, the door just shot open. Sakura had probably gotten to the door as soon as she could, and waited a while to make it seem natural. Too bad Tamao, and probably Morty too, could see through it. Not that either of them was going to say anything.

And it was no-one else than Sakura who appeared through the door. She looked just at Tamao, and smiled widely.

" Whoa, Tama! You were out long! We were worried already…" she started, then stopped dramatically. A bit too dramatically.

She obviously pretended to notice Morty, and a calculated, surprised attention rose on her face. She opened her mouth, a little too slowly, and her voice sounded way too surprised to be genuine.

" Oh my, Morty! What a pleasant surprise to see you here! Were you escorting Tama home? That's so kind from you! Please, do come in! Would you like some tea?" she chirped.

Tamao held back chuckling. Sakura, at least, had not changed one bit among the years. She still trusted her poor actor skills to go through. No-one had the heart to tell her she didn't fool anyone. But she was just trying to be friendly, so it didn't really matter. She wasn't doing it to hurt anyone, after all.

Morty smiled widely. His smile looked genuine. It probably was, too.

" Yes please, if that isn't too much of a bother," he answered, with his ever-so-nice voice.

Sakura stepped aside, and both Morty and Tamao stepped in. Sakura closed the door, and together they all walked to the small living room. The three other kimono girls were sitting around the round table. Once Tamao stepped in, she noticed an embarrassed expression on Sumomo's face, Satsuki was as cool as ever. Koume, instead, looked Morty, who had also come to the room, straight into the eyes, and smiled her warmest smile. Tamao couldn't help but to feel a little puzzled by this. Even with Koume always being so polite, that was quite a warm…

Tamao's thoughts were interrupted as Sakura arrived, loudly.

" Well the, as you can see, we have a guest! And he's thirsty too! I'm no good at making tea, as you know, so Koume, could you…?" she shouted, friendly, but still a bit too loudly for Tamao's ears to feel comfortable.

" Why of course," Koume interrupted (politely), with her silent and soft voice. It was amazing that it could even be heard from under Sakura's shouting.

Koume got up, and Tamao noticed that she was wearing her comfortable, pink kimono. Koume liked to dress traditionally, even at home. She was about to leave the room, when Morty suddenly spoke.

" Oh, please, let me help you. I wouldn't want you to go through all that trouble by yourself," he said, and followed Koume, who smiled, if possible, even warmer than before. The two disappeared to the kitchen, and Tamao was left staring behind them. Her eyes stood wide open in her face, as she got even more puzzled.

" _What the…? Since when was he this polite?"_ she thought by herself.

However, on that moment, Tamao was attacked by the questions of two curious sisters (who were both now standing right next to her) and the cold ignorance of one who couldn't care less.

" Tama! Why is he here? Tell us!" Sakura muttered silently enough. The two in the kitchen would not be able to hear her.

" And don't say he just walked you home! It isn't the least bit dangerous in Ecruteak city, and it's not even completely dark yet!" Sumomo continued the sentence.

Tamao could just move her mouth, without any words coming out. Unfortunately, Sakura completely misunderstood her expression that didn't know what to say.

She got a little further away, and dramatically took her hands to her face.

" Don't tell me…! He came to ask your hand in a ma…ma…ma!" she shrieked silently enough.

The three other girls in the room could just stare at her with disbelieving expressions on their faces. Even Satsuki managed to look embarrassed for her sister. Tamao looked down and wondered if this is what sweatdropping feels like.

Sumomo couldn't hold herself back any longer. She bursted into a wild laugh, which shook her whole body. She didn't even care about keeping it down; she laughed with all her might, holding her stomach.

Sakura looked puzzled by the behaviour of her sisters, and Satsuki looked down. Tamao stared at her. She wasn't sure if her eyes were betraying her, but to her it looked like Satsuki was blushing of embarrassment. Considering what Sakura had just said, it was no wonder, but considering Satsuki's personality, it was basically a miracle.

" Ow… ow, it hurts… My stomach…!" Sumomo managed to mumble through her laugh. Sakura still looked puzzled, Satsuki's blushing seemed to disappear a little, and Tamao turned her head. Her eyes hit a mirror on the wall, and she saw that her own face was red like a rose. No wonder; being accused with something like that.

Sumomo, still chuckling, straightened her back.

" Sa- sakura… haha… Think after a little. How old was Tamao again…?" she managed to say.

" Well… She's fifteen," Sakura said, looking even more confused.

" Exactly. And are fifteen-year-olds allowed to get married? Heehee…"

" Well… No, but…"

" But what?"

Sakura seemed confused, probably wondering why the three couldn't see the obvious.

" Well, she does get well along with Morty. I mean, they've been very close for years!"

Surprisingly, it was Satsuki who spoke next.

" Sakura, Morty is nineteen. There's an age difference of four years." Her voice was cool and collected.

" Love sees no age!" Sakura declared.

" That might be true, but still; I doubt Tamao and Morty are more than friends. You aren't, are you now?" Sumomo spoke, directing the piercing question to Tamao.

Tamao sighed, annoyed that she had to explain the obvious.

" As far as I know, no. Absolutely not," she said. Her voice was shaking from embarrassment.

" Good," Satsuki muttered so quietly she was only heard by Tamao, who was standing closest to her.

" Huh?" Tamao mumbled and looked at her, surprised, but Satsuki just shook her head. What did she mean by that?

Sakura and Sumomo had not noticed this, and continued their attack towards their younger sister.

" Putting that aside, what is he doing here?" Sumomo asked, whispering again.

" Right, please tell us!" Sakura agreed.

Tamao only had a split second to think after.

" Uh, he just… Came to ask you something," Tamao started, and as Sakura opened her mouth, surprised again, Tamao interrupted her.

" I told you already; we're not in love."

As both Sakura and Sumomo tried to figure out what to say, Satsuki suddenly spoke again, looking just at Tamao.

" They're taking long," she said, coolly and silently.

Sumomo understood.

" Oh yeah… No-one makes tea this slowly, especially not Koume. Wonder what's taking them?" she said casually.

" I'll have a lo…!" Sakura started happily, but Satsuki interrupted her with a cool tone.

" Tamao, go check on them."

" Ah…" Tamao, Sakura and Sumomo all let out.

" O- okay then…" Tamao muttered, and started walking towards the kitchen. Neither Sakura nor Sumomo protested; the authority of this oldest sister was sometimes amazing.

As Tamao approached the kitchen, she was feeling extremely puzzled. What was with Satsuki? She never did anything random; her words and actions always had a meaning. Now what could she mean by this…?

Tamao opened the kitchen door, and could instantly hear a loud crash. The door shot wide open, and Tamao was greeted by a very odd scenery.

Both Koume and Morty were staring at her with wide, scared and surprised eyes. Koume was standing with her back towards their kitchen table, and on her feet was a broken teacup, which she had apparently just dropped. Morty was standing in front of Koume, with his hand placed on the table behind her. Was it just in Tamao's eyes, or were the two a little too close to each other…?

" Uh… what are you…?" Tamao started, but Koume interrupted her. Her voice was still polite and quiet, but it was unusually high pitched.

" Ah, Tamao! Great timing! I was just about to serve the tea!" she said oddly cheerfully, and turned around, now facing the table. Morty drew his hand back, very hastily.

Koume picked up a small round tray from the table, with a can and cups on it, and walked past Tamao.

" I'll take this to the living room, so the tea won't get cold. Tamao, could you clean up the mess? There was a little accident," she shouted from behind her back, as she hastily left the room, leaving Tamao alone with Morty.

Morty didn't say anything, so Tamao turned towards him. He had an embarrassed, but a little considering expression on his face.

Tamao repeated.

" Morty, what were you two just doing?"

" What do you mean? Nothing, nothing at all," Morty said, too calmly.

" Stop lying. What were you doing?"

" Well…"

" Well?"

Morty looked down, then seemed to realize that Tamao wasn't angry. Actually, she had just noticed herself that she was smiling playfully.

" Well…" he muttered again, a lot more relaxed this time.

" I'm waiting," Tamao said, still not angrily.

" Well… I guess I could say that… I think that… you have a nice sister," Morty muttered, and blushed.

Tamao laughed.

" And how long have you thought that?" she asked.

" …Since last summer."

Tamao shook her head, not believing what she heard.

" Why didn't you tell me?"

" I thought you might not like it," Morty answered, again a little sheepishly.

" Morty, what do I care? It's not like it's my business who my older sister goes out with," Tamao told him, still not believing it.

" You seriously don't mind?" Morty asked, seemingly very surprised.

" As long as you don't blabber around about my destiny to her, you two have my blessing."

Morty smiled widely. He seemed speechless at first, but then managed to say just one word, a word that symbolized all his happiness. It was probably in the tone he said it, rather than the word itself.

" Great."

" Any more secrets you're keeping from me?" Tamao asked, suspiciously. She started cleaning the floor from the broken cup, but kept her eyes on Morty.

" Nope."

" Are you sure?"

" Yep."

" Yes you're sure or yes you're keeping secrets from me?"

" Guess."

Tamao finished her cleaning, and got up, slowly facing Morty. For a while the two just stared at each other, but they both started smiling at the same time.

As they heard Sakura calling for them, Tamao grinned at Morty.

" Time for you master plan to take place," she said, playfully.

" I can't wait."

Morty passed Tamao, and started walking towards the living room again. Tamao followed him, still feeling a little unreal.

So Morty was together with Koume, huh? Putting Morty aside, why had Koume kept it as a secret from her? She had acted all excited when Tamao had gone to see him… Unlike Sakura, she seemed to be good at acting. But why…?

Oh well. Maybe she too thought Tamao might not like it. It seemed that Sumomo and Sakura didn't know about the two either, and Tamao could imagine how they would react if they found out. Tamao knew how much her two sister idolized Morty, so the fact that he had a girlfriend, their own sister at that, would probably devastate them. Satsuki seemed to know, but she had probably realized on her own, rather than being told. Of course, she didn't mind. As far as Satsuki cared, she wouldn't even mind if Koume went out with Eusine, whom she liked no more than her other sisters did, even though she was cooler about it than they were.

Tamao was silent as Morty started chatting with her sisters, cheerfully. Koume was pouring the tea to the cups, and made a nervous glance at Tamao. Tamao tired to smile at her, but it turned out wrong again. She'd have to practise smiling a bit more, so she'd be able to pull it off more often.

Koume seemed to understand though, since she made a silent sigh, and smiled at her with a relieved look on her face. She then turned her attention back to the tea. Tamao looked at Satsuki, still sitting at the table. Satsuki nodded at her, and a small, satisfied smile seemed to visit her lips for a tiny moment. Of course, with Satsuki, you could never be sure.

After a while, Tamao found herself sitting by the table with everyone else. There was a cup of hot tea in front of her. On her left was Morty, and on her right was the quietly giggling Sakura. Sumomo and Satsuki sat in front of her, and Koume was on Morty's left. Everyone but Tamao and Satsuki were chatting happily. Satsuki was her regular silent and cool self again, hardly looking at anyone as she sipped her burning hot tea without even flinching.

Tamao just didn't know what to say. First off, she had to recover from the shock that her sister and Morty had just caused her, and on the other hand, she still had a bothersome task in front of her. Lying to her sisters didn't bother her that much, but Morty's plan just made her feel uncomfortable. Lying was one thing, but would she be able to pull this off?

Sumomo was the first one unable to hide her curiosity.

" Well the. Tamao mentioned you're here to ask us something. What could that be?" she asked Morty, straight forward. Apparently, she found hinting towards it a waste of time, and rather just asked.

" Oh, yes. Silly me, I almost forgot," Morty gasped (fake), and slapped his hand dramatically on his forehead (even more fake).

Tamao sipped her tea silently, and wondered why everything in the last hour had made her want to sweatdrop. The tea burned her tongue, but she managed to quietly put the cup down.

" Oh no, it's okay. We were having such fun, after all," Sakura chirped, and started giggling, just to be joined by Sumomo, and yes, as horrifying as it sounded, Morty. Tamao sipped her tea again, even though she knew it'd still be burning hot. Any pain was better than having to concentrate on Morty's giggling. Seriously.

" Yes, I did come for a reason today," Morty then said, making Tamao feel relieved that he had stopped giggling. Her sisters might have bought it, but she seriously thought she was gong to go deaf. Judging with a quick glance, Satsuki and Koume seemed to agree with her.

" To tell you the truth, I'm concerned about Tamao here," Morty continued, and looked down, as if he were really worried.

" Even though I'm glad that she has finally returned to Johto, I have to say that I think it might be too much for her to cope… You know, with all these painful memories in this city…" he continued silently, managing to sound troubled.

Tamao made a (fake) surprised gasp, and looked at Morty with wide eyes. She was pretending he had lied to her that he had come to say something else, that she didn't know what he was about to say. She wasn't very confident with her acting skills, but her sisters, Sumomo and Sakura, and maybe Koume too, at least, seemed to buy it.

" But… you don't mean…?" Sakura gasped, and Sumomo looked worried. Satsuki made a silent sigh, and Tamao couldn't help but to wonder if she saw through Morty's acting. What would she do if she realized they were lying?

" Oh, please don't get me wrong! I do not wish for her to leave, not at all. I just say, that being like this, all of a sudden, might be more painful for her than even she is aware of. It might even traumatize her, so that if she'll once leave, she'll never be able to come back again," Morty put his head down, and spoke on a low, faked troubled voice.

" Buh…!" Tamao exclaimed, falsely shocked.

" Ah… But surely not. It has been five years since… you know what. And she's been gone, so surely…" Sumomo mumbled, but made nervous glances towards Tamao.

Tamao knew what was being said, so she only listened with half an ear. Right now, she was concentrating on sitting awkwardly, and looking troubled. She had to pretend like she hoped she'd be anywhere else, like her darkest secrets were being told aloud.

Sakura looked shocked, very concerned. Hopefully she wasn't the one who was going to get traumatized by this.

" Tama? You aren't… Are you…? I mean…" she mumbled, without managing to actually form sentence.

Now the spotlight was on Tamao. She had a mission to fulfil. Due to her poor skills in letting the situation take her a san actress, she had to count on memories. So, she recalled the night when she and Glacia had taken care of the sick Leafia without getting any sleep at all. On the next morning, the grass pokemon had been moved tears by their caring. It was that tearful face Tamao now remembered, and tried to imitate, blending in with the sadness she had felt lately.

And oh, did it work! In a small moment, Tamao's eyes were full with tears, her body was shaking wildly, and she managed to look like she was really, genuinely crying. She covered her face with her hands, and muttered with a (fake) faint voice.

" I'm sorry… "

Sakura and Sumomo both shot up, to her sides, and placed their hands on her shoulders. Koume and Satsuki remained sitting. Were they buying it? At least they didn't say anything…

" It's okay Tama… No-one's accusing you, it's okay…" Sakura mumbled softly, sounding tearful herself. Tamao was really regretting that she had agreed to this; it felt really bad to fool and hurt her sisters like this.

" Tamao…" Sumomo muttered.

Oh well. The show must go on. It was too late to regret; if her sisters would find out they were pretending, they'd be even more hurt.

" I… Just wanted to be with you so bad, but… It's hard, and I wasn't sure if I was ready. But I just had to come, because I don't want to be apart, not anymore. You're my fa- fa- family…" Tamao sobbed wildly. Gosh, she was feeling so bad about this.

Sakura started sobbing too.

" You're so brave!" she shouted, but calmed down surprisingly fast. She seemed to be thinking she had to be strong for her sister. This was getting meaner every second.

Sumomo gripped Tamao's shoulder.

" I'm sorry, Tamao. We were so happy to see you, we didn't even think how this might feel to you. I'm so sorry. But don't worry. We'll support you all the way; we'll do our best so you can be home without having to suffer, okay? We'll get through this together," she said calmly, sounding very couraging. Too bad it was all for nothing. This was starting to get sickening.

" And if you want to leave, we totally understand," Sakura added gently.

Morty butted in. Luckily, Tamao had no idea what she should say next.

" And that is exactly why I came; so Tamao wouldn't need to leave. In fact, I have a suggestion to you," he said, sounding concerned, but determined. He sure had the easy role in this little play here!

Tamao lifted her face carefully from her hands, with her eyes still covered in fake tears, and followed as Sakura and Sumomo carefully watched Morty. Koume looked interested too. Satsuki was still sipping her tea. It was probably cold by now.

" I suggest, that Tamao goes on a trip. Not far away, but around Johto. She'll see how the region has changed, and at the same time get used to being here. By the time she returns to Ecruteak, she'll be happy and perfectly okay with being here," Morty declared, sounding a bit too sure. Sumomo looked suspicious for a while.

" How would that help?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

" Simple; while she's away from you, but in a familiar place, she'll get used to it in a new way, not one similar to her memories. Once she adapts this new thinking of this place, she'll be able to live here without the memories bothering her," Morty sounded like he had actual proof of this thing. He almost even convinced Tamao.

" _Does this mean I won't be able to move to Sinnoh…?"_ Tamao wondered, and held back a sigh. She was going to keep better contact with her sisters, but she still thought a little house, maybe in Mio city, would be nice.

" And after she returns, she'll of course be very eager to dance with you too!" Morty then chirped with a cheerful tone.

Now this was something Tamao had not been aware of. She shot a disbelieving glance at Morty, who just ignored her. He had tricked her! There was no way she was going to…!

However, this little sentence was exactly what seemed to convince Sakura and Sumomo, since a slightly delighted expression visited their faces for a while.

" Well, that does make sense. Would you like that, Tama?" Sakura said thoughtfully, after thinking after a while.

Tamao nodded faintly, as well as she could.

" Well then, it seems we have to make preparations for a trip! Let's go, let's go!" Sakura shouted, and disappeared from the room.

Sumomo sighed, but then bowed to Morty and went after her sister.

" Don't forget to pack the new toothbrush we bought her!" she shouted.

" My… they sure are passionate," Morty mumbled, and Koume smiled.

" We care about our sister," she said softly, and got up. As she started cleaning the table, Tamao looked at her nervously. She had surely seen through the act.

" Koume…?" she said, sounding apologising, but Koume just smiled at her, with genuine warmth.

" Good work," she said and winked. Then she just disappeared from the room.

Satsuki got up too. Tamao looked at her, extremely nervously.

" I don't know what you're really going to do, but I have nothing against it. You should do what you have to do," Satsuki said without any colour in her voice, and then left the room.

So she didn't buy it. But at least she understood Tamao didn't lire to hurt them. She had even bothered to tell her that. With a sentence that long!

So it was just Tamao and Morty in the room. Morty smiled cheerfully.

" Well, that went well," he said.

" Don't ever force me to go through that again. It was terrible," Tamao muttered, and Morty laughed a little.

" You look like you need some fresh air," he told her, very convincingly.

" I wouldn't want Sakura and Sumomo to see how fast I calmed down. I guess we could go catch our breaths… But we won't leave the yard,"

Tamao answered, and got up. Followed by Morty, she passed her room and opened the back door of the theatre.

A cold wind greeted her as she stepped out, but the cold lasted just for a second. It had gotten dark, since the sun had long since set, but it was mild, not that cold.

Morty followed her, ever so cheerfully.

Tamao sighed.

" You never mentioned the dancing part," she muttered angrily.

" I just came up with it on the spot," Morty answered. He didn't even try to sound like he was sorry!

" Listen, you little liar, I'm not going to…!" Tamao shouted angrily, but Morty lifted a finger on his lips, and shushed her.

" But it helped, didn't it? It's not something we need to worry about now!" he whispered, sounding amused.

" Why, you little!" Tamao started again, but the starting bickering was interrupted by some rustling ahead of them.

Both Tamao and Morty turned their heads sharply, just to see a light blue legendary pokemon walking towards them.

" Oh no… Not now!" Tamao whined, and Morty went extremely quiet. Tamao could feel how he became very, very tense.

Oh, right; Morty hadn't actually met any legendaries before; he had just seen visions of them. Plus, he probably knew what this meant as well as Tamao did.

Suicune stopped in front of them, and spoke with his calm, deep voice.

" We are in need of your help."

" Right now?" Tamao asked.

" Yes," Suicune answered, without any feeling in his voice.

Tamao sighed. Morty looked at her, with panic in his eyes,

" What's going on?!" he asked, sounding very confused.

That was when Tamao remembered that Morty could not hear Suicune's voice; it was just her.

She collected her strength and courage, and tried to look calm.

" I have t go with him," she said simply.

" To… where Umbreon is?" Morty asked with a shaking voice.

" Probably yes."

Tamao stepped closer towards Suicune, and Morty took a half step after her.

" Let me come with you!" he gasped, but Tamao shook her head.

" No," she said. Her reasons were obvious; even Morty would be able to guess them.

" But…!" Morty gasped again, but Tamao just shook her head.

" Please tell something to my sisters. I wouldn't want to worry them," she said silently, and faced Suicune.

Morty seemed to be very nervous, and made several sharp breaths. Tamao turned to look at him.

" Oh come on; don't try to tell me you didn't foresee this," Tamao told Morty, annoyed by his pretence. The play was over already.

She jumped to Suicune's back, and waved her hand at Morty.

" I'll see you as soon as possible. Don't let Eusine and Crystal leave!"

She then smiled, as gently as she could. Morty could probably understand her expression.

" Don't worry; I'll be just fine," she told him.

With those words, she had ridden Suicune to the forest. Before she completely focused her mind on staying on the legendary pokemon, she heard Morty mutter something. She didn't really hear what it was, but somehow the words made fear grip her heart harshly. Even though she didn't realize it now, a part of her had heard his words.

" But… I didn't!"

As Tamao and Suicune had advanced in the forest, the familiar black mist had appeared, getting darker the more they advanced. Soon, Tamao could feel the air get hotter, and thought she could hear the sound of rattling electric. Entei and Raikou were close by. And by that, Umbreon was too.

Soon, the two arrived at a small field in the middle of the forest. Now that Tamao looked at it, it could be the same they had been on last time. Suicune ran so fast, she couldn't judge by distance.

As Tamao's eyes caught on the huge canine formed of the black mist, she felt like all strength disappeared from her body. And so, her grip loosened, just slightly, but just enough to make her fall from Suicune's back. She fell harshly on the ground, making a somersault on the ground, and landing barely on her feet, crouching and in pain, but still, somehow thinking clear.

" Umbre-!" she shouted, but that was when she noticed the giant, dark ray approaching her from Umbreon's direction. She was about to take the hit Umbreon had meant for the arrived Suicune. Suicune was out of the way already, but there was absolutely no way she was going to dodge it. No way.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And that is how it came to this. Why, well, that is a different story.


	10. Weapon

**Chapter 9: Weapon**

It was coming closer, closer and closer. Time had stopped in Tamao's world, nothing else was moving, but still it came closer with a speed that made her heart beat ten times faster. Was this it, then? She'd fail this early on, without being able to do anything?

Tamao couldn't hear anything but her heart beat echoing in her ears. All she could feel the throbbing beat, as if trying to escape her chest. All she could see was the dark ray approaching, filling her eyes with sizzling darkness. A horrible sight.

She was done for. She was sure of it. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see it. She waited. Waited, waited and waited, for a time that seemed to be an eternity. And then some. She squeezed her eyes close, and stayed still, waiting for the pain.

Why didn't it come already? Why wasn't she hit yet? There was absolutely no way the ray could have missed, but there was also no way it would not have reached her yet!

Carefully, Tamao opened her eyes. She raised her hand in front of her eyes, and her heart skipped a beat. Around the pale hand, red-edged black rays sizzled, like trying to get in her skin. So that was it. She had been hit.

But she did not feel pain, neither did she see any injury in herself. She was as fine as one could be in a situation like this.

" Ah…" Tamao gasped, in awe. Slowly, the rays started fading away from her; she had survived the attack with absolutely no damage.

" Amazing," Tamao could hear a gasp echo in her head. A burning voice she knew belonged to Entei.

Amazing indeed. But why? Why had she not been hurt? What was…?

Tamao's eyes started picking up her surroundings again. She could see Raikou and Entei staring at her, seemingly as awed as she was. When she turned her head slightly, she could see Suicune standing behind her. It wasn't easy though; the black mist was so thick, it was only the pale light of the moon in the sky that somehow managed to pierce it. As Tamao gazed in front of her, she once again saw the canine figure in the mist, bathing in the silver light.

Umbreon. It was the first time she saw him after she found out what had happened to him. Tamao felt a tight grip in her heart, and for a while she couldn't breathe, but she shook it off.

"_Not now. Not here."_

Her feet were still shaking of fear, but Tamao got up. She looked at the form of the pokemon she once knew in front of her. His shining yellow eyes flickered and dimmed down a little, and he seemed to get smaller as he looked right at her. He avoided her eyes.

Tamao reached her arms far and wide, and tried to capture Umbreon's eyes. She could clearly see his feelings in them. Guilt.

But not the guilt that had eventually lead them here, this was simpler. It was merely the guilt of hitting her with an attack, she could see it. Umbreon had no intention to hurt her.

Tamao spoke.

" See? I'm all right. It's okay."

Umbreon took a wavering step backwards. His backleg blended with the mist for a while, but quickly found it's from again.

Tamao took one step closer. Umbreon's eyes flashed, but he didn't move.

" I'm fine… just fine. Please… let me…" Tamao muttered, not sure what she was going to do herself. She took wavering steps towards the pokemon formed of the mist, who just barely seemed to be able to stay put. But somehow, she was getting closer.

The three legendary pokemon didn't interrupt her. They had done their part for now, and the being in front of them did not seem to wish to harm the girl. All they could do was hope that she would be able to take care of him for now.

Tamao stood right in front of Umbreon now. She did not know what to do, what to say what to think. But she still had to try.

" Listen… I just want this to…" she muttered, and reached her hand towards Umbreon. Her eyes didn't even manage to react well; suddenly, she just realized there had just been a shining flash of yellow light. Before she even managed to get confused, she heard a loud roar from behind her.

Tamao turned back in fear, and saw Raikou on the ground. Some of the mist had seemed to gather especially around him, and he roared wildly, apparently very much in pain.

" Ah!" Tamao gasped, and took one wavering step. In that instant, she could see the mist gathering around her, making it harder for her to see.

She turned towards Umbreon, in horror, just to see his eyes shine so bright it hurt her eyes. The mist was getting thicker and thicker, and it became harder for her to see, and breathe. It was like being in a fire, once again. She coughed, and could almost feel as the air around her flinched.

Tamao stared at Umbreon, or rather just the thick black mist around her, knowing it was a part of him. Even so, she couldn't understand why it had suddenly become so hard to breathe; Umbreon didn't want to hurt her, she was sure of it.

Tamao started coughing harder than she had for ages. She could feel the mist getting colder, and surprisingly, she was able to understand it. Right now, it wasn't up to Umbreon whether she was hurt or not. This was what Ho-oh had said; he couldn't control his own powers. Apparently, her presence had only managed to startle him so much he got out of control. Now he was probably so upset he wasn't able to pull himself together.

Tamao fell on her knees, and coughed again. She had to find a way to stop this. Umbreon was scared because he was hurting her; she had to find a way to get herself out of the mist, safe, so he would calm down.

Tamao took a deep breath. It hurt, since the mist in the air wanted to make her cough again, but she had to hold it back. It really, really hurt.

" Umbreon!" she shouted in a wheezing voice. She couldn't see or hear anything, but she knew he was there, all around her.

" Umbreon… I'm fine! See, I'm not hurt the… least…" she tried to continue, but her voice faded away, and she found herself coughing, no matter how hard she tried to hold it back.

Tamao fell on the ground. She was getting weaker all of the time. Right now, it felt like there was nothing she could do.

Her fingers fell gently on her bag, which was right by her. She could feel something cold and round through the fabric. A freezing pokeball.

It was Glacias'. Even though the sharp cold hurt her finger, Tamao felt calmer. Once again, the one sentence Ho-oh had said returned to her mind.

"_Those pokemon in your bag, they would do anything for you, would they not?"_

No. She wouldn't let them. Leafia and Glacia had nothing to do with this; she would not have them get hurt. In the moment she thought that, the cold in the pokeball became sharper, as if the pokemon inside would have guessed the thoughts of her trainer.

" No…" Tamao muttered. Her eyes began to close, and she knew she was about to lose consciousness. She started losing control of her body.

Slowly, her finger slid down the pokeball in her bag, but accidentally stopped on the spot of a button. Tamao's body shook, and a wild coughing took over again. It was all that was needed.

Tamao could only hear the sound of her bag ripping, and in the instant a red light had appeared, driving some of the mist further away. Tamao could once again think a little clearer.

" _Oh no!"_ She thought, and looked, as the icy pokemon materialized in front of her.

Glacia looked furious, and howled towards the darkness caused by the mist. She tapped the ground with her paws, and seemed to be ready to attack.

Tamao found an unknown source of power in her. She jumped up, and grabbed her pokemon.

" Glacia, no! You can't do it!" she shouted, but the pokemon fought back, trying to escape.

" Glacia, please stop! I know he's your brother, but we can't have you getting hurt…! It'd just be worse for him, for me!" Tamao cried, without tears, but she was horrified. She was more afraid than she had ever been. Now it wasn't about her and Umbreon, it was about basically everyone she knew! Each person added to her fear, and with Glacia in instant danger like this, Tamao just wanted to believe this was a horrible nightmare.

Glacia wasn't listening to her. The usually cool and collected pokemon was now nervous, and didn't seem to be thinking at all. She was more reckless than Murkrow was usually!

The mist was once again gathering around them, and it was getting even darker. Umbreon was getting more and more upset. Not only Tamao now, but he was hurting his sister too. Even with her having evolved, he had to know who she was.

Tamao coughed again, and so did Glacia, who was still trying to free herself from Tamao's grasp. But Tamao wasn't going to let go; she didn't want this to become any worse than it already was.

The mist flinched harshly, and Glacia became silent. Dead silent. She didn't' even move.

" Glacia?!" Tamao gasped, and looked at her pokemon. She had a petrified look on her face, and she was getting warmer and warmer. Not good for and ice type pokemon.

" Glacia! Glacia?! Glacia, answer me!" Tamao shouted, and her heart pounded like crazy.

" _No… Please no… Please don't let it come to this!"_ Tamao screamed in her head, and started furiously looking around for something to help her pokemon.

A golden bag could be seen from the hole that had appeared on her bag when t had ripped from Glacia's appearance. As Tamao stared at the bag, she could remember the words of a sage who she had spoken to years and years ago.

" _The magnificent item, Sacred ash. Once scattered on a human or a pokemon, it had the power to heal any wound, sickness or injury. There is nothing it can't heal."_

Tamao didn't even stop to think. While still holding Glacia, who still wasn't moving, she grabbed the golden pouch. Some ash fell on her knee, but she ignored it.

" Please… Please work! Don't le tit end like this!" Tamao shouted aloud, as she poured a lot of ash on Glacia. For a while, nothing seemed to happen, but suddenly, a huge flash of a light blue light pushed Tamao harshly backwards. Glacia stayed on the spot, but Tamao flew right across the mist.

" GLACIA!" she screamed again, and looked to the way she had flown from.

The same light blue light shone again, clearing the whole area from the mist. Tamao could once again see Suicune, Raikou and Entei, all gathered close to her, with those black and red rays all around them. Umbreon was standing behind her. However, right now, Tamao only had eyes for Glacia.

Tamao gazed, horrified, as the blue light shone from the whole body of the small pokemon. Suddenly, the brightly shining pokemon got up, and turned her head towards Tamao. Their eyes met, and the Glacia smiled. She seemed to be fine.

But before Tamao managed to become relieved, Glacia's form disappeared into the light. Tamao gasped, as the light started growing. It was like Glacia would have been evolving, but that was impossible.

The light took the form of a big canine, and slowly faded away, leaving only two brightly shining spots, in the place that would be the beings eyes.

Tamao gasped, as she looked at the being that had appeared from the light. It was Glacia, she knew it, but… She looked different, other than the size too. Actually, she looked like a legendary beast to be exact.

Tamao gazed in awe, as white cloudlike substances danced on both sides of Glacia's head. Her face was fiercer, but it still looked a lot like it had been before. Her legs were thin and elegant, but they were obviously full of strength that could not be seen now. Her body was covered with icicles, bigger than before. Some of them stood out especially. Her single tail had become many, each of them ended in a sharper icicle Tamao had ever seen.

The legendaries did not seem very awed. Apparently, they had known this would happen when the ash would be used. Umbreon didn't move either. Ether he was as awed as Tamao was, or then he was scared. This would be too much to take for anyone who did not know why it had happened.

Tamao could feel her heart calming down a little. It seemed that Glacia had gained strength. She wouldn't be in instant danger anymore. However, there was one thing bothering her. Even if they did manage to solve this now, what would happen next? Would Glacia stay like this forever?

As if as an answer to her question, Tamao saw that the shining light in Glacia's eyes dimmed down a little. Just a little.

The black mist had stayed gone for a while, but it was now starting to return. Tamao could feel the air getting thicker all of the time, and an awkward feeling took over her. Umbreon was losing control again.

As fast as she could, which was rather slow, since the flight had hurt her, she got up. She gazed at Glacia, who was now calm. She was looking at her, waiting.

Tamao's heart ached, and skipped several beats. She despised what she was about to do.

Tamao nodded, just slightly.

Glacia took off with an amazing speed. In a split of a split second, she was standing in front of the shining yellow eyes. Umbreon's form was hardly visible, though.

Tamao had turned as fast as she could, and feared that she might have missed something important. The speed of these beings was just too much for her.

Glacia stood and gazed into the bright yellow eyes. The mist in the air flinched once again. Tamao could feel Umbreon's fear.

Glacia made low growls, but Umbreon remained silent. Obviously, the sister did not want to fight her brother. There had to be some other way to solve this.

Umbreon's form dissolved even more. For a while it seemed like he was going to disappear completely, but then… time seemed to stop. The mist around the three legendaries, the girl, and her powered up pokemon seemed t stop moving, and remained on its place. Everything was silent, and all that moved were Glacia's shining blue eyes. Once again, they seemed to dim down just a little.

Then, suddenly, three horrifying roars echoed through the air. Tamao turned, and saw Suicune, Raikou and Entei on the ground, covered in those dark rays again.

Tamao gasped, when the air echoed again, in a higher pitched roar. She turned again, just to see Glacia covered in those rays too, but she was still standing.

As her heart made awkward beats, Tamao reached her hand towards her pokemon, just to see that it, too, was covered in those rays. However, unlike the others around her seemed to do, she did not feel an amazingly terrible pain. She felt nothing at all. She only knew she was under the attack because she could see it with her eyes.

After staring at her hand for a while, the seriousness of the situation hit Tamao. This was getting really bad. Umbreon… was obviously…

Umbreon had no form anymore. There were just two yellow eyes occasionally shining through the darkness, with a devastated look. He couldn't control himself at all, he was as horrified as his sister and trainer from five years ago where. Tamao was hurt when she understood this. She had seen this coming when she had nodded to Glacia, but she had, nevertheless, hoped…

But it was no point in crying after what could have happened. What was going on was going on. Right now, she had to make a decision. It was painful, but Tamao understood this was not the time to settle this for once and for all. Right now, Umbreon was too startled she'd have to give him time to think this all over, time to calm down, and then meet him again.

So all that she had to do now was to stop him from rampaging. From what the legendaries had said, she came to the conclusion she had to make him dissolve somehow. Not completely, but to the state he was in when he did not cover areas with this mist. But how was that done?

Tamao couldn't come up with anything. She stared at Glacia fighting back, and felt numb. Why wasn't she hurt at all? Entei, Suicune, Raikou… they were all still down. Glacia was just hardly putting up with this strange attack that had seemed to come out of nothing. She could see the rays flying across herself too, she could hear their hissing and sizzling. But she could feel no pain. Not a single sting.

Tamao's hands were cold, and her head was heavy. She had to stop thinking this now. She had to stop wasting the time she hardly even had!

" Glacia! Hold on!" she shouted, and suddenly barged towards her transformed pokemon.

In the instant Tamao's hands touched Glacia, she saw a flash of light. She gasped and closed her eyes. She felt how Glacia relaxed beside her. She opened her eyes, and saw that the black rays had disappeared from Glacia. As she watched her hand, she saw that the number of those rays had increased in her. She had literally taken the hit. But she still felt no pain.

Tamao withdrew her hands from her pokemon, fearing the attack might return to her. Glacia looked at her with worry in her shining blue eyes. They seemed to have dimmed down a little again. Tamao could now see her pupils underneath the shine. They were the same icy, but extremely warm eyes Tamao was used to. But right now they couldn't see the danger that was glowing in a yellow colour in front of them. They were blinded by the worry for her trainer. Of course, she wouldn't know that Tamao wasn't feeling any pain.

Tamao smiled sadly.

" Forget me for now. It seems that I'm not in an instant danger. Even so, right now all I can do is…" she told her pokemon, and looked down.

" Please… Glacia," she mumbled, hating herself for asking it.

Glacia understood. She turned towards the gathering of mist, where she could occasionally see a yellow light shining. However, it became more and more rare all of the time. Tamao didn't know what it meant, but she didn't like it. What if it meant that…?

Suddenly, she heard a deep voice in her head.

" He is alright! He is just losing consciousness! Once he faints, his powers will be left roaming around, but he will be gone by then! You will be able to fight off the mist without hurting him!" Suicune shouted, but his voice was followed by a painful roar. Tamao looked behind her, and saw that the legendary pokemon were getting weaker every moment. Right now, they would not be able to do anything. It was up to her and Glacia.

Being able to think clearly didn't mean she was having it easy. As Glacia charged forward towards the occasionally flicking eyes, she had a feeling that she should be jumping ahead to protect him. Fighting that feeling was just unbelievably hard. Tamao knew she shouldn't, but she closed her yes. This was too much for her to watch. Unlike Glacia, she was not that brave; she didn't even have the strength to look, where Glacia had the strength to actually charge against her own brother.

Tamao felt like she was going to cry. Why? Why did it have to be like this? Why?

Right then, she heard something. It wasn't clear; it was like a whisper in her ear. It was a strange, hissing, no… almost purring sound in her ears. It wouldn't stop.

She opened her eyes, and saw that Glacia was circling the place where Umbreon had stood. She didn't know if she should attack yet. But Tamao knew.

" Glacia, prepare yourself!" she shouted, and saw Glacia fasten her pace.

Tamao waited, without moving a muscle. And then, just like that, the yellow eyes flickered one last time, and the sound in her ears stopped.

" NOW!" she shouted, and Clacia made a roar so loud Tamao felt like her heart would have become deaf with it.

From Glacia's open mouth, a white, cold beam erupted. It shot right to the point where the mist was thickest, where Umbreon had been. The white beam made everything around them freeze, and Tamao could see the breaths she took as solid foam in front of her eyes. Snow appeared on the ground, and suddenly a big part of the forest had been turned into a winter wonderland.

Tamao shivered in the cold, and watched as the source of the black mist was severed by the freezing beam. Slowly, the mist started dissolving into the air. When she really looked, Tamao could see small black crystals in the snow. Eventually, they'd melt away with the snow.

It became silent. Not one of them moved. Not the legendary beasts, not Tamao, not Glacia. They all just remained on their places, staring into the snow occasionally covered by the frozen black mist.

Then, Tamao moved. She ran, without thinking, right to Glacia, and hugged her.

" I'm so sorry! I didn't want this to happen! Please…! Please don't, please don't…" she whispered, and could feel Glacia's gentle heartbeat in her hands.

Glacia pushed her head slightly, so that she could see into her eyes. Tamao looked deeply into the snow dimly shining blue eyes.

" I'm sorry… Now you're… like that too…" Tamao muttered, but she didn't even manage to finish her sentence, when the light in Glacia's eyes dimmed down completely. In the instant that happened, the icy pokemon started shrinking, and just in a few blinks, she had returned into her original form. A perfectly regular Glacia.

Tamao heard Entei's voice in her head.

" As you can see, there is a time limit," the burning voice said calmly. He sounded a little shaky, probably from all the damage he had taken.

Tamao made a hateful glare towards the legendary beasts. There they stood, as if nothing had happened. Didn't they care about anyone but themselves? It was not like she was worried of how long Glacia's powers would last when she'd use her as a weapon like this! Battling was one thing, but this was different. This'd be just…!

As Tamao was about to express at least some of her anger, she could feel a cold tongue licking her cheek. She turned, and saw that Glacia had climbed to her lap, and was standing on her knees. Tamao knew what she meant, but she wouldn't have wanted to admit it.

Yes, Glacia had done this of her own free will. But that didn't mean she was up for using like that! If she'd use her free will like this every time, she'd just wound up who knows how badly! It was out of the question.

Glacia started purring like a cat in her arms. She was trying to calm her trainer down. Tamao felt ashamed, and looked at her pokemon. Her icicle fur was dirty, and she was clearly very exhausted. She needed some rest, at the least.

" I should be going back," Tamao said in a blank tone.

Suicune turned his head towards Entei. The fire pokemon shook his head. They were both very exhausted. Not that Raikou wasn't, but apparently the electric pokemon had a better defence towards ray-based attacks than the others. He was of the electric type, after all.

So, while retuning to the theatre, Tamao ended up riding Raikou. She held Glacia in her arms, without saying a word. Raikou, luckily, didn't try to start a conversation either. They zoomed through the forest in silence.

Glacia had fallen sound asleep. So Tamao was left alone with her thoughts.

So. That's what the sacred ash could do. It wasn't just with Glacia either, without a doubt. It probably did the same with Leafia and Murkrow too. Not that Tamao was gong to use it.

As Tamao held Glacia tightly, she came to think of another thing. The attack. Why had it not hurt her? The others had clearly been in an amazing pain, why not her? It surely wasn't about Umbreon; he wouldn't have hurt his sister, if it were up to him!

So why? When the others had trembled in amazing pain, why hadn't she felt a thing? Not in her heart, not physically. Nothing at all.

Tamao looked at her hands. The attack had not left any marks or scars. Not on Glacia either. But that didn't explain why it hadn't hurt Tamao.

Now that she thought about it, there were other things she didn't quite understand. The black mist, for instance. She had never questioned this before, but this meeting had gotten her thinking. Apart from those with a power like the legendary pokemon, the mist seemed to make everyone faint and see horrendous nightmares. But she had not felt anything on the first time, and even less just now. So the black mist didn't affect her either.

The more she thought about it, the more of an enigma it became to Tamao. In the end, she ended up so frustrated, she just stopped thinking about it. She was probably thinking too much anyway. It probably wasn't a mystery; surely Morty or Ho-oh at least knew the reason. She'd just have to ask.

Speak of the devil. Right now, the dance theatre could already be seen from behind the trees. The snow had not reached this far. Luckily, it would have caused quite an uproar, taking that it was not winter. Morty was still standing on the yard, and seemed to be glancing nervously at the forest. In the instant Raikou appeared from the forest, he moved nervously, and ran to them.

" Are you alright?!" he asked, sounding even more worried than he looked.

" I'm just fine. It's Glacia I'm worried about," Tamao answered, as she let Morty help her down.

Raikou didn't bother to bid farewell or anything. Once Tamao was safely on the ground, he just took off without a word. Tamao gazed after him, thoughtfully.

" What happened to her?" Morty's voice was calming down.

" I'd rather not talk about it." Tamao bit her lip.

" But -" Morty started, but Tamao shook her head.

" If she gets some rest, she'll be fine," she ignored him completely.

Morty sighed, but seemed to understand. Tamao didn't feel that sorry for him; he'd probably find out in a vision soon enough, if he didn't already know. He might be just pretending to make her feel more comfortable. He often did that with people.

" You're dirty," Morty said suddenly.

Now that she looked, Tamao noticed that she really was. Her clothes were covered in dirt from the ground, and when she tried her face, she realized there was mud on her cheeks. She could see some black crystals on her sleeves. They were smaller already though. There was a hole near the spot of her knee, and a cut on her knee had apparently just stopped bleeding. That was when she remembered her bag.

At first Tamao panicked, since her pokeballs were in that bag, but suddenly, she noticed that the ripped bag was on her feet, with the pokeballs sticking out. Raikou had probably brought it without her noticing.

" _Well… I guess they can be nice too,"_ Tamao thought, somewhat bitterly.

She then turned to Morty.

" How long was I gone?" she asked, trying to be calm. The truth was, she was still shaking.

" For about an hour. I told you sister you needed to cool off your head while taking a walk."

An hour huh? It felt like a lot longer time. Miserable things always seemed to take an eternity. But all that drama had managed to fit itself into one hour? Tamao couldn't help but to feel a little impressed.

Before she managed to say anything, Koume's head appeared from the door. Once she saw Tamao, an oddly sad expression visited her face, but disappeared before Tamao could be sure whether it had actually been there.

" Goodness, Tamao! What has happened to you?" Koume asked, sounding as gentle as ever.

" I fell."

" Whoa! That seems to have been quite a fall!"

" Indeed."

Tamao felt uncomfortable, and Morty remained quiet. Koume just smiled at her gently.

" Well, I think I'll be able to have your clothes washed by tomorrow. You should be going to bed now, don't you think? You'll be departing on a journey tomorrow, after all," Koume then said slowly.

Tamao faked a smile.

" I guess you're right," she said, and turned to Morty. He had a serious expression. Why didn't he even try to hide it?

" Excuse me for my rudeness, but I'll really be going to bed now. I'll come over to the gym tomorrow, okay?"

Morty smiled. Was it genuine? Tamao couldn't tell.

" Okay. I'll look forward to it," he answered, sounding both cheerful and serious. An odd combination.

Tamao walked towards the door, and thought she heard Koume sigh behind her. She didn't have the courage to turn to look, however. She'd let Morty take care of her. He'd probably be happy to.

As Tamao stepped inside, she could hear Sakura and Sumomo squealing and apparently having the time of their lives upstairs. Wonder what they were packing, for giggling so much? Tamao did not look forward to finding out.

As Tamao turned to her room, she noticed that Satsuki had seemed to appear out of nowhere, and was leaning to the wall by the door. Tamao flinched, but managed to hide it.

Satsuki looked at Glacia in Tamao's arms.

" What happened to her?" she asked quietly.

Tamao shook her head.

" She just fell asleep while we were taking a walk. That's all."

Satsuki looked at her quietly. She didn't seem to believe a word Tamao said, but was not protesting. Tamao had to admit that at times like this, Satsuki was really wonderful.

Tamao's eldest sister straightened her back, and placed her hand on Tamao's head. Tamao felt weird. She was still as short as she had always been, when compared to Satsuki.

" Take care," Satsuki said, and Tamao thought she heard hints of several emotions in her cool voice.

" Oh, don't worry; she'll be fine by tomorrow," Tamao answered, a little confused.

" Of yourself too."

With that, Satsuki withdrew her hand, and walked past her. Her long, straight hair was dancing behind her back as she walked away. Tamao stared after her until she had disappeared into the dark stairs.

"…" Would be the best way to describe how Tamao felt right there, right then. However, there was nothing she could do anymore, so she just quietly entered her room.

When there, Tamao put Glacia gently on her bed, and took up another poekball. Leafia's. She called out the poor pokemon, who seemed to have started panicking for his beloved before he even got out. Leafia jumped on the bed, and went to lick Glacia's cheeks. Glacia responded by wiggling her left ear calmly. Leafia seemed to calm down a little, but was still very anxious. He shivered harshly. Tamao felt terrible for making him that worried.

Tamao looked Leafia straight into his eyes.

" I'm sorry. She'll be fine by tomorrow. Take good care of her, okay?" she said, and her voice broke.

Leafia nodded.

" We'll explain everything to you tomorrow, once we have the time and strength. After that… I don't know. We'll just have to play cool for a while, until we can really think this over."

Leafia tilted his head slightly to the right, but seemed understanding.

Tamao smiled.

" Right now I'm in shock, so I'll be no use. Glacia probably understands this a little better than I do, too," she said, and her voice broke.

Leafia looked sad, and started letting out a very sweet, soothing scent. He then returned to Glacia's side, and Tamao smiled sadly.

" Thank you," she whispered. Leafia would hear.

As Leafia's attention was completely shifted on Glacia, Tamao changed into those clean pyjamas again. She took her dirty clothes to a basket near the bathroom, like she had always done when she was a kid. Koume would pick up the basket, and wash the clothes in it.

" She'd going to do laundry at the night again… I guess she still likes it," Tamao thought, and remembered the night she had first caught Koume washing clothes in the middle of the night. She had always said it was her idea of relaxing before going to bed.

As Tamao returned to her room, she decided she'd wash her boots tomorrow. She was tired now.

Carefully, watching out for Leafia and Glacia, she entered her bed. The sheets smelled clean, but they didn't comfort Tamao. She was simply miserable.

While avoiding thinking about anything. Tamao fell asleep. Who cared if she'd have nightmares? They, at least, would not be real.


	11. Traveler

**Chapter 10: Traveler**

The sun had just started rising when Tamao opened her eyes. She could not quite remember her dream, but she felt like she would have bathed in flames, and her heart ached. She didn't need to be a genius to know what event had repeated itself in her dreams that night. However, she felt weird somehow. She couldn't quite put her finger to it, but her head felt heavy somehow. As she tried to figure it out, the feeling became more distant. But it was still there.

Oh well. As she got up, she noticed that Glacia was still sleeping, but Leafia was awake. Had he been up the whole night? Tamao felt a sting in her heart when she thought that.

Leafia's eyes were dim, probably due to him being tired, but he seemed to be happy to see that Tamao was awake.

" Morning…" Tamao muttered, and Leafia nodded at her.

Tamao put her feet to the floor, and tried to get up. However, an instant sting in her forehead caused her to fall over again. As she held her head, she suddenly noticed that the room was engulfed in a shadow.

" _That's odd…"_ she thought to herself. In the morning, the sun usually shone in from the window… She could see some glimmering of the morning light in the corner of her bed, but what blocked most of the sunlight?

Getting up was hard, as her head felt dizzy and her feet were trembling, but she managed to stay up. Leafia looked at her with worried eyes, but she ignored him for now. She kept her hand on her forehead, but turned to look at the window.

For a while, she couldn't recognize anything from outside the window. Just pure white. Then, her eyes caught a shape of some sort, of another colour… Blue, maybe… Or was it…?

Before Tamao managed to make anything out from it, the window suddenly burst open, and a powerful gust of wind blew her backwards. Tamao hit the door of her room harshly, and gasped in pain. She held her head, but then she suddenly figured out what had happened.

Still wearing her pyjamas, Tamao jumped up, yanked the door open, and ran through the hall, all the way to the back door. She managed to open it with her trembling hands, and stumbled outside. That was when her head was hit by a sharp pain, and she fell over.

" Agh…" Tamao whined on the ground, but then quickly looked up. It was hardly visible, but there was definitely something flying away, to the southeast of the city.

The shape was dark, because it was far away. From it looking so big, even from such a distant, Tamao understood that the creature had to be huge. However, huge or not, it was so far away the only shape she could figure out from it were the wings. She couldn't see any details.

Tamao stared to the sky, as the being disappeared into the far away sky. Only the blue sky, covered by some small, dark clouds remained. The dizziness in her head started feeling better, and her legs had stopped trembling. She still had a headache though.

She didn't really know what to think. As the dizziness and pain faded slowly, she tried to figure out the odd feeling she had, and that weird being appearing behind her window. Nothing came to her, but when she really tried, a sentence rose to her mind.

" _Is this really where you want to be?" _A strange voice echoed in her head.

Tamao took a sharp breath. She didn't understand what was going on. She wasn't even sure if someone had really told that to her, or if her mind had just come up that strange sentence and voice. Why did this have to happen now, now that she had so much to think about?

That brought something else to her mind. Tamao gasped, and jumped up again. Her feet were working normally now. Ignoring her confused state of mind, she ran up to the door. Leafia was already there. He yelped when he saw Tamao running, and ran to her, circling her feet nervously.

" Sorry… I didn't mean to scare you", Tamao sighed. Leafia had panicked quite hard this time.

Without saying anything more, Tamao returned inside. It was only in the warmth of the house that she noticed how cold the morning had been. The wind was echoing on the high roof of the house, and could even be heard downstairs. Not the best day to leave on a journey; it might even be freezing outside, if the wind would get any harder.

Once she returned to the room, Tamao noticed that Glacia's clear eyes were set on her and Leafia coming from behind. When Leafia noticed this, he made a relieved gasp, and ran up to the bed, jumped up, and started rubbing his nose to Glacia's cheeks. Tamao smiled, but she doubted she looked happy.

" Are you okay?" she asked, and Glacia nodded energetically. It seemed like last night would have been just a nightmare.

Speaking of which… what had happened just now? The huge flying bird had not been Ho-oh, and besides, why wouldn't she remember if she had chatted with Ho-oh in her dreams? Because that was what it was; no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember anything about her dream last night, she was just left with a confused feeling. And she knew that weird pokemon just now had something to do with it. She just knew.

Tamao stared down, with her two pokemon making worried glances at her. But before they managed to do anything, footsteps could be heard from behind the open door. Tamao turned her head, and saw Koume on the doorway, with a basket in her hands. Her long, curly hair was not tied on a bun, which was a rare sight.

" Good morning. I washed your clothes for you…" Koume greeted her gladly, and Tamao sighed. Was it a bit too heavily? Hopefully not. Even though she did suspect Koume's behaviour a little, she didn't want to risk it that she might start asking Morty why Tamao seemed so troubled.

" You know, it's really creepy when you do that", Tamao muttered, but Koume just smiled.

" We all have a little something that someone might consider weird. Sure, doing laundry at night might be very bizarre, but it calms me down just enough so I can see nice dreams", Koume answered, smiling a blossoming smile while handing Tamao her shirt and socks. She started looking for the rest of the clothes; there were laundry from the other sisters as well in the basket.

Tamao thought after a little.

" Come to think of it, do you ever have nightmares? Even when you sleepwalk, you don't seem scared or anything", she asked, but continued in her mind.

" _Even when you sleep, you always have that happy smile. Are you really that happy, always?"_

Koume laughed. She took up the rest of Tamao's clothes, and gave them to her.

" I guess you could say I usually really do have 'sweet dreams'. When I sleepwalk, I usually follow something nice in my dreams."

" That's… lucky, I guess."

" Do you think so? I think it's just thanks to the laundry I do at night."

Tamao looked down, and muttered to herself;

" You're weird…"

Koume just smiled her ever so happy smile.

" Are you the only one awake?" Tamao asked, after glancing Koume a few times, trying to find a trace of any expression but that smile.

" No. Satsuki seems to have been awake for hours… She's fully dressed in her kimono, already, even though it's this early in the morning."

" Oh…" Tamao muttered.

" _I wonder if she saw… No, she most likely did see me running out of the house. But did she see the pokemon? I don't think I can really ask about that; it seems that Satsuki has realized that something is going on, but she might not know the whole truth. And I don't want to tell it to her. I don't want to tell it to anyone." _

Koume smiled politely, and left the room. Tamao just thought after things for a while, but then shook her head wildly. Now was time to get going, not get stuck on thinking. Things wouldn't become any simpler, no matter how she thought about them. She'd just have to wait for the answers to come to her, or ask them from someone, if she ever had the chance to. If she'd never find out… then that was something she'd have to worry about in the future. Now was the time to explain, lie, and take off. Not a very nice mission, but it had to be done.

A strange voice visited Tamao's mind for a brief second, but she managed to chase it away before really starting to think about it.

" _Is this really where you want to be?"_

" _Of course not," _Tamao answered it angrily in her head, and forgot about the whole thing.

She walked up to Glacia, and checked she was alright. As Leafia was starting to get anxious, she had to wonder if she'd have the guts to tell the story. Last night still bothered her so much, how could she talk about it?

Glacia turned her head quietly, and suddenly made a little groan. Tamao looked at her in surprise. The pokemon nodded her head, and smiled in a way just a pokemon would. Tamao didn't even try to smile; she knew they'd understand her anyway.

She sat on her bed. Leafia came to sit between her and Glacia. He looked at Glacia, then Tamao. Tamao took a deep breath, looked Leafia into his eyes, and talked. She talked about everything that had happened last night, save from a few things she felt were unimportant, such as her own struggling. Glacia didn't fill in either.

A few times, Tamao was interrupted by a sister, such as Sumomo saying good morning in an energetic tone. She had talked so quietly that no-one heard her, though. She knew how to be careful, especially after having a sister secretly listening to her every now and then when she was young.

Once finished, Tamao took another deep breath, and the room went silent. Glacia was looking down, and Leafia seemed scared, since he quickly jumped down from the bed and started walking in circles. Then, before Tamao could respond to this, he raised his head, and made a nod. Tamao wasn't sure what it meant, but she felt relieved. She was about to answer, just say something, anything, when she heard Sakura call for her.

" I'm coming!" she shouted back. She glanced at Leafia, who turned away. Glacia had closed her eyes.

With that, Tamao changed to the clothes Koume had brought her. They were excellent for a traveller; they didn't get in your way, and didn't look half bad. While putting on her long socks, Tamao remembered that she still had to clean her boots from the dirt. There was no way she was using any other shoes; those boots were great for walking long distances. That's why she had bought them in the first place.

After that, closely followed by Leafia and Glacia, she left her room. All of her sisters were around that small table again, Satsuki indeed fully dressed in her kimono, while the others were wearing more casual clothes.

As she began to eat the breakfast Sumomo had apparently made, her sisters, mainly Sakura and Sumomo, started discussing her about the journey ahead of her.

" The things we packed will last for a week. After that, you'll just have to come back to get more things. Is that okay with you?"

" Sure…"

" We do want to you to call as often as you can. After all, this isn't just about you."

" I understand."

" Also, if you start travelling with someone, please do let us know exactly who it is. We won't let just anyone go around travelling with our little sister!"

" _I think I'm the best judge on who should travel with me…I know that the certain someone I have been told to follow wouldn't pass your test. In fact, he wouldn't even be allowed to try!"_ Tamao groaned in her smile, but answered calmly.

" Yes, yes. I'll keep that in mind."

Sakura and Sumomo smiled happily, and Koume did too. Satsuki wasn't ignoring them like she usually did, but she wasn't smiling. She just looked at Tamao. Even though no emotion could be recognized from her eyes, Tamao felt calm. Whatever she knew, she understood that Tamao had her reasons to do as she did. That was good, at the very least. Behind her stern face and sometimes cold eyes, Satsuki really did possess amazing skills of empathy. No matter what a person did, she still understood them, and their reasons. Of course, this was all how Tamao saw it, but she was sure she was right.

Sakura looked at the clock.

" My, my! It's getting late!" she gasped, and made a cheerful grin.

Sumomo added in her own grin.

" Yes, yes! It's already nine o'clock! Isn't that just terrifying?"

" …?" Tamao couldn't help but to express her confusion.

" You wouldn't want to start this day by slacking off! A journey starts early in the morning, after all!" Sakura giggled, and Tamao looked at the bowl in her hand.

" But I haven't finished ea-" she started, but Sumomo nicked the bowl from her.

" It's okay! To start your journey with a full potential, you need be a little hungry!" she laughed.

" What kind of a logic is that?" Tamao muttered, but she didn't manage to say anything more before her sisters drew her up, placed a backpack in her bag, and pushed her towards the door.

" Umm… I'm not really sure about…" she tried to tell them, but they were both too excited to listen to her.

Soon, she found herself standing in front of the door, with her four sisters in front of her. Sumomo was waving her hand slightly.

" Well then! Have a safe trip, and come back soon, so we can finally all dance together!" Sakura smiled as she talked.

" I'm not going to…" Tamao muttered, but was ignored.

" We'll be waiting in front of the phone for your call. Don't you dare to forget us!" Sumomo giggled.

" _Somehow… I feel like a ten-year-old leaving for New Bark town to get a starter. This is pretty ridiculous",_ Tamao thought, but kept quiet.

" Morty asked that you would go to visit him before you leave, so please respect his wishes", Koume said gently, and Tamao had to struggle to keep her jaw from dropping. Was Koume giving her an excuse to walk to the gym, without having to hide from her other sisters? Did she know something? How much? Morty… Had he told her something?! Oh wait… she had been there when Tamao had told him she'd come over. Tamao held back a sigh. Since when had she become this paranoid?

" Oooh…?" Sumomo exclaimed eerily, and Tamao started feeling irritated.

" Okay, I'll go see him then. But don't get any funny ideas, Sumomo!" she snapped, and turned her back to her sisters. She started marching away angrily, with Leafia and Glacia, who had been quiet for the whole morning, following her.

" Bye, bye!" Tamao could hear the voices of her sisters, save from Satsuki, from behind her back. She just snorted, and heard Sumomo and Sakura giggle behind her back. This cheered her up a little. Their carefreeness was quite refreshing, even though it did usually annoy her.

Leafia and Glacia seemed to sense that she was starting to get on a better mood, and started growling playfully at each other. Soon, they were more running around than walking with Tamao.

" Seriously, where do you get that energy from?" Tamao sighed, but she was feeling good. She had almost totally forgotten about the mystery that had kept her mind troubled in the morning.

Soon enough, the Ecruteak was once again in front of her. As she walked to the door, she suddenly heard a loud scream from inside the gym. Eusine was shouting, using no words. This got Tamao on her guard, and she quickly moved away from the door. It proved to be a good thing she did; because right after she had sidestepped, the door banged open, and Eusine basically flew to the ground. Tamao stared, as he held his shoulder and laughed like crazy.

" I did it!" he laughed. He then noticed Tamao, and tried to greet her, but didn't quite get the words out.

" Exactly what were you doing?" Tamao asked, loudly enough for the laughing Eusine to hear.

" I tried to break the door. It seems that only the locks gave up, but I still reached my goal, no?"

Tamao looked at the door, which was wide open with the broken locks hanging from it, and then at Eusine.

" And why would you want to break Morty's door? You'll have to pay for it, you know!" She felt like she'd be lecturing Eusine.

" But it was Morty who locked us in! Even the key I st -the key he gave to me- wouldn't open the doors! And it's nine thirty already, I just had to get going!" Eusine had stopped laughing, but still looked highly amused.

" _What's with this 'nine thirty already?'? Is there really a written rule that one must leave early, if going on some sort of a journey? I wonder if Eusine has had any breakfast… I thought it was just Sumomo's strange logic, but you never know…" _Tamao wondered, as she watched Eusine stand up, and remove a straw of grass from his sleeve.

After he was satisfied with his appearance, he did add to his sentence, though:

" I didn't think I'd actually manage to break anything on that door… I guess I've underestimated my powers."

Tamao sighed, and looked at the door again. Crystal was now standing there, looking angrily at Eusine.

" I'm not the one who's going to pay for that you know! Oh, hi there, Tamao", she shouted, and reverted to polite in an amazing speed when she saw Tamao standing with Eusine.

" Hiya", Tamao answered her. Leafia and Glacia seemed to be highly amused by Eusine's little stunt, since they were both looking at him admiringly.

It was then Morty appeared from the gym, and started examining the door and the locks. He sighed harshly, so harshly everyone knew he wasn't very serious.

" Now you've done it! Have you got any idea how hard it was to make this door creak? And those locks cost me a bunch! I don't think I'll have enough money to pay for them all over again…"

" No worries! I'm sure Crystal will easily get the money by bat…" Eusine said cheerfully, only to be interrupted by Crystal's snort.

" You broke, you pay. I'm not going to waste my time for paying off your stupid pranks. Actually, I might as well cut all of my ties to you!"

" Ah, please don't! How will I survive if the lady is not by my side?!" Eusine gasped ever so playfully, and Crystal sighed. She didn't seem to be on the mood to play games with Eusine. Too bad he always had something going on.

Morty called out for a sage inside, who came out, looking sleepy. Morty asked him to call someone to repair the door, and the sage nodded, glared at Eusine muttering something, and returned inside.

" Whoa, that was cold!" Eusine whined. Apparently, he had heard what the sage had said.

" You deserved it…" Crystal muttered, and Eusine glanced at her, amused.

Morty smiled cheerfully at Tamao, and she sighed to answer him. Morty would understand what she meant with it. He knew she wasn't that good with smiling.

" Hey, Tamao? Why do you have a backpack? Are you going somewhere?" Crystal suddenly asked, apparently hoping that they'd get serious again. She looked tired. She seemed to be recovering from a bad night. Had Eusine kept her awake?

" Ah…" Tamao gasped, and Eusine grimaced. Tamao held back the urge to snap at him, and simply glared. She then looked at Crystal.

" I'm coming with you", Tamao said simply.

Eusine smiled eerily, almost knowingly, and Crystal looked stunned. They both started talking at the same time.

" Why?" Crystal asked.

" Why not?" Eusine said, as if knowing Crystal's question in forehand, and starting to answer it at the same time she started saying it.

Crystal stared at him. He made a grin, and winked at Tamao. Somehow, this made Tamao really nervous. What was he up to?

" Buh… We're not walking around for fun! It's, oh come on, Eusine, it's a serious matter! And I wouldn't think you want to…" Crystal spoke out, but Tamao interrupted her.

" I need to get out of the city for a while. And I'm sick of Eusine; maybe he'll stop being annoying once he gets Suicune. Because that is something we all desire, I'm eager to help you with the chasing and catching." She had planned what she would say on her way to the gym.

Eusine laughed, and Crystal seemed to have to struggle to stay dead serious.

" But…" she muttered, sounding a lot more cheerful now though.

" Oh come on – what's wrong with that? Even though I disagree with me being annoying, I will not deny one from wanting to help me to achieve my dream! And it is only for… how long?" Eusine started, and then shot a glance at Tamao.

Tamao looked to the sky. She had no clue how long she'd take to… do what she must.

" I don't know. A few weeks maybe", she answered and gained an approving smile from Eusine.

" Well, I don't see anything wrong with that. Do you, milady?" Eusine asked Crystal, but it was obvious he wasn't really going to listen to her opinion.

" Well, I…" Crystal started anyway, but Eusine had already zoomed to Tamao and grabbed her arm.

" Excellent, excellent! Now, let's get going! Bye, Morty!" He shouted, grabbed Crystal's arm too, and started dragging them towards the east of the city.

" Buh-!" Tamao and Crystal both gasped, and were too surprised to fight back.

" Have a safe trip!" Morty shouted from behind them. Tamao turned to him, hoping for a little help, but was only greeted by a sad expression on Morty's face.

" _What's with him?"_ Tamao thought, and turned forward. She had more important things to do, right now. No time to wonder about Morty's expressions.

Tamao drew her hand back from Eusine, so harshly he almost fell. Crystal saw her chance, and drew her hand back too, very quickly.

" My… You're already working as a team! How sweet!" Eusine laughed, but stopped when he realized that both of the girls were glaring at him. His stupid grin remained, though.

Tamao, and Crystal apparently too, just settled into walking quietly towards Route 42. Eusine started whistling, but Crystal told him to stop. He, luckily, did as told.

Tamao had her suspicions that Crystal wasn't quite happy with her explanation of why she wanted to come with them, but she seemed to leave it at that for now. She might ask later, though; right now, Eusine was just being so bothersome she wouldn't manage even is she tried. Tamao hoped she'd remember to come up with a good excuse later, so that Crystal wouldn't get suspicious.

The guard in the post did seem to recognize the trio. After all, Eusine and Crystal were both famous in their own ways, and everyone in Ecruteak knew who Tamao was. However, the guard didn't say anything. Crystal glaring at Eusine, and Tamao's wondersome face (which tended to look angry) probably made him think it was better not to. Eusine's cheerful attitude while being with two seemingly angry girls probably scared him a bit too. Anyone would get a little creeped out, if they weren't used to Eusine's idiotic behaviour. One might start questioning his sanity.

Route 42 opened before them. The water was glittering in the sunlight. The trees were making a lot of sound as they shook in the harsh and cold wind. A few Heracross glared at them, and escaped into the trees. Tamao stared after them, feeling happy that they didn't want to fight. Glacia was still a little tired, and Leafia would only get nervous. The two were now chatting with each other, who knew what about. Sometimes Tamao wondered why no-one had come up with a way to understand pokemon language; there was so much that couldn't be said without having both parties understand the words.

" I wonder if we should fly or surf?" Eusine interrupted her thinking.

" Flying would be faster, but since it's really cold today, we'd just freeze in the air. I say we surf from here, and walk the rest of the way", Crystal answered, and Eusine nodded, agreeing.

Tamao realized something that made her very stupid.

" Uh… where are we going?" she asked. That's right; she had no idea.

" The lake of rage… We heard that someone had seen a peculiar pokemon there", Eusine answered simply.

" And what makes you think that peculiar pokemon is Suicune?" Tamao asked.

Crystal sighed.

" Nothing really. But he insisted on having a look at the place… Because there's water there, and Suicune is water type. That's as far as I could make out from his logic."

" But the pokemon could be that… what was it now…? I heard someone saw a red Gyarados there around five years ago, it could be…" Tamao started, but Crystal smiled at her.

" It's not. I caught that Gyarados. He's in my box right now, taking care of my Magikarp", she told her. Tamao stared, and she laughed a little.

" Shall we get going?" Eusine asked, smiling. He still looked weird to Tamao when he did that.

" Sure, sure…" Crystal mumbled, and took up a pokeball. She held the ball gently in her hand for a while, and then pressed the small button on it. A red light flashed, and a huge, impressive looking Feraligatr appeared before the three.

" There, there! We need you to carry us around for a bit", Crystal told the Feraligatr, and the pokemon roared happily. Crystal smiled at the Feraligatr, and petted the huge red spikes on his head.

Eusine leaned towards Tamao.

" He's her starter", he whispered, with an odd tone in his voice. Tamao didn't answer; she didn't need to.

Tamao watched, as Crystal gently tapped the Feraligatr in the back. The pokemon tried to playfully bite her hand, and Crystal laughed full heartedly. She looked like a perfectly normal, happy trainer. Definitely not a person who hunted for a legendary pokemon. It was amazing how wrong things could go. Now that Tamao thought about it, it all seemed very twisted. And cruel.

The Feraligatr jumped into the water, splashing water so hardly that even Tamao got several drops in her hair. Eusine covered his head, and Crystal mocked him about it, before climbing to the back of her pokemon. She stood up and Feraligatr started swimming in a circle. Crystal didn't need to concentrate; she worked so well with her pokemon, she obviously didn't need to fear falling down.

It was just then Tamao saw a green shadow flash by her eyes. As she blinked, she suddenly heard Feraligatr roar and Crystal make a little surprised scream. She opened her eyes, and saw Crystal holding her hand by her feet. She had just managed to keep her balance.

The secret behind the green flash was revealed, when Tamao looked at the arm Feraligatr was holding in front of Crystal. He had obviously raised it to protect her. On the arm, three huge sharp leaves were sticking out.

Razor leaf. Someone had attacked them.

Figuring this out only took Tamao a second, and in the next instant, she could hear a loud scream, in the voice of a boy.

" You lucked out this time!"

Suddenly, an impressive Meganium appeared from behind them. As far as Tamao knew, Meganium usually looked cute and sweet, but this one looked angry, and sort of scary, as she stared at Feraligatr with eyes burning of a strong emotion. Was it will to battle? Probably.

From behind the Meganium, a boy suddenly emerged. He was tall, way taller than Tamao was, maybe even taller than Eusine. He was obviously around Tamao's age, and had dark, angry eyes. Tamao saw chains hanging from his black belt, and his clothes were ideal for "the bad guy" in modern movies. He looked very impressive, somehow, looking at Crystal with a similar expression as his Meganium.

However, his clothes, height or the burn in his eyes were not the reason why Tamao couldn't get her eyes off him. The reason was rather his long hair, tied on a ponytail. It was red in colour, blood red, and it shone in the pale light of the sun. Tamao had never seen anything so… purely red. Redder than a sunrise.

Tamao stared at the boy with the crimson hair, and felt more impressed than she had ever felt after just seeing a person. The boy noticed her looking, and turned his head towards her. The burning in his eyes disappeared when he looked at Tamao, and instead, for just a moment, a bit confused look visited his face. He then quickly adapted a stern look, and stared back at Tamao. Drops of water started running down Tamao's short black hair, as the boy turned back to Crystal. A devilish smile took over his face.

" Crystal from New Bark Town… I've finally found you", the boy said in a strange, anxious tone.

Tamao heard Crystal sigh. She looked at her, and saw a sad look on the girls' face. She had gotten down from Feraligatr's back, and they were now both standing on the ground. Feraligatr stared intensively at Meganium, but Crystal looked down.

The boy seemed to be irritated by this, and started talking again. Or shouting, rather.

" Prepare yourself!" his voice echoed in the air, and several bird pokemon left the trees around them. A few Heracross did too.

As an answer to the boy shouting, the Meganium that obviously belonged to him, made an excited yell. Sunlight started getting attracted to the huge flower on the neck of the pokemon. She was preparing a solarbeam, and was clearly aiming towards Feraligatr.

Crystal sighed again. Simply and slowly, she took up a pokeball, and withdrew Feraligatr. The boy made an angry groan.

" I'm not battling you", Crystal said in a blank tone, and turned away.

Tamao felt confused, and looked at the boy. He looked annoyed, but Tamao could guess that he had seen it coming.

Eusine, not unlike Tamao, had just quietly followed the situation. From his expression, Tamao could guess that he knew exactly who the boy was, what was going on, and how it would end. He had a bored look on his face, and his hands were placed behind his neck.

The boy with the red hair looked furious. His Meganium hissed from behind her teeth, and the boy moved restlessly on his place. His face was pale, but his eyes were burning again, with a different emotion than before.

" WHY?!" he shouted furiously. There were no bird pokemon, or even Heracross, left in the trees after that.

Crystal looked down, so that a shadow took over her face.

" I've told you before; I don't want to", she said coldly.

" And why is that?!" The boy screamed.

" None of your business", Crystal said, and turned away.

Tamao watched as the boy nearly boiled in front of her eyes. He wasn't afraid of expressing his anger.

" You and that arrogant attitude of yours! I tell you, there's absolutely no reason for you to despise me! I am not weak, not anymore! I would beat you in a battle with my hands and eyes tied!" he screamed. Tamao started feeling a little uneasy about the attitudes of both the boy and Crystal.

" Good for you."

Now the boy was getting furious, even more than before. His face was still as pale as before, but his hands were gripping so harshly Tamao feared they might break. His Meganium was stomping the ground with her legs.

" What's with y -!" he started shouting, but a huge crack echoed in the wind so harshly he couldn't finish his sentence.

It was now that Tamao realized that the wind had gotten stronger. A lot stronger. The wind was blowing so harshly, Glacia seemed to have a hard time on staying still. If the wind would increase any more, the wind would blow her away!

Tamao took up two pokeballs, and withdrew both Leafia and Glacia. The wind got a little stronger again; it was starting to become dangerous for a human, let alone a small pokemon.

" Oh…?" The boy muttered, and looked at a tree near them. There was a huge branch on the ground by the tree; the crack had come from the branch breaking and falling down.

Crystal was silent, but Eusine talked at long at last.

" This looks bad. I suggest that we continue this another time." He directed his sentence at the boy.

The boy snorted, but withdrew his Meganium.

" Listen - " he started, but the wind made a long, weeping squeal so that his voice was once again drowned there. The waves on the ale in front of them were getting high, as if it were a sea. Tamao started wondering how her sisters hadn't mentioned anything about a storm, when she suddenly started thinking the storm might not be…

A wave hit the ground in front of them so harshly it sent sand flying. Tamao got some into her eyes, and started wiping them as fast as she could. When she opened her eyes, she saw that leaves from the trees were flying around like crazy. She felt a striking pain in her wrist; a leaf had cut a little wound there.

The red-haired boy suddenly gasped. Tamao looked at him in surprise, as he fell over in the wind. He held his head, and snorted out:

" This isn't a storm! It's more like a tornado!"

Luckily, no tornadoes were at sight. Tamao looked at the boy who had gotten up again. He was looking around, as if searching.

" Suspicious…" He muttered.

" Indeed!" Eusine said cheerfully. Tamao stared at him. He was indeed smiling. How stupid was he really? Or was he really insane?

" We should return to the gym", Crystal said quietly. She glared at the boy, as if telling him he was not welcome.

" I've been searching for you for ages! No way I'm not letting you run away like a Rattata!" The boy told her angrily, and Crystal sighed.

" We'll see what you can do about it."

" Why you -!" the boy started, but Eusine raised his hand to make him quiet down.

" It is starting to get very unsafe here, so I tell you; leave her alone for now. Also, lady Crystal, the gym is very far away; we will not make it if we start heading there now, we'll just end up hurt. I suggest we search safety from Mt. Mortar", he said calmly. Whoa… Eusine was taking charge.

" And how is a cave crawling with wild pokemon safe?" Crystal asked coolly. Just the presence of the red-haired boy seemed to annoy her.

" Well, I'll rather be fighting low-levelled wild pokemon than fear for my life in here", Eusine said simply, and started walking towards the entrance of a cave. Tamao had feared that cave when little, but even now, she was still used to it. She had only visited the cave a few times, but she wasn't really afraid.

Unwillingly, Crystal followed Eusine, and Tamao started following them too. To her surprise, the red-haired boy came too. He probably thought it didn't matter if he was unwanted company, as long as he himself felt safe.

It was really dark in the cave, darker than Tamao remembered it would be. She felt nervous, since she couldn't see in front of her at all. She heard Eusine and Crystal talking about something ahead of her, but since she only concentrated on following their voices, she didn't really know what.

She did see the boy though, since he was walking close enough to her. Not well, but she could see his shape, and the red shade in the darkness, which would be his hair. The boy was silent, and Tamao didn't feel like starting a conversation with a stranger who had attacked them.

The extreme darkness was very weird. It was dead quiet too, not even the wild pokemon were making any sounds. Actually, it was like they would have been the only ones in the cave. The footsteps seemed to be getting quieter too.

As Tamao walked, she suddenly couldn't hear the steps of the boy near her. By an instinct, she turned back, and saw that the boy had stopped, and was looking down.

Tamao could hardly follow his gaze in the darkness, but once she saw what the boy was looking at, she flinched. Because on the ground, there was a small Marill. It was small for it's species, but that wasn't what scared Tamao. The fact that it had fainted, and there was a suffering expression on the face of the small pokemon, that was what really made her feel uneasy. She had seen that expression before.

Tamao raised her hand in front of her eyes. She could see black swirling around it. The darkness in the cave was not natural. The silence was not a coincidence. It was just as she feared; she, the boy, the whole cave… They were all engulfed in a black mist.

Umbreon was here. The cave was dark because of the mist dwelling there, and all the pokemon had fainted, just like in the forest before.

Tamao also realized why the steps had gotten quieter; she had only heard the steps of two people for a while now. Eusine and Crystal were nowhere around. She was alone with the red-haired boy.

Tamao looked at the boy, feeling her panic rising. The boy looked at her, with a barely visible, but definitely interested expression in his eyes.

Tamao shivered. What was going on? Eusine and Crystal had probably fainted from the mist, just like before… but what about the boy? He didn't look dizzy, and was definitely standing. Now that she looked at him, he didn't even look scared. He looked… bored?

The boy suddenly spoke.

" Now this is a mess. It doesn't seem like it's any safer here than outside", he said, oddly calmly. He was looking at the Marill as he spoke.

It seemed that the boy wasn't aware exactly what was going on, but base don the fainted Marill, realized it was nothing good. Tamao hoped it was so. Right now, she had to trust it was, too. She didn't have the time to start questioning the boy.

She turned her gaze away from the boy, and saw that it was getting darker ahead of them. Umbreon was probably there. She started walking towards the darkness. The boy made a questioning sound, but followed her without saying anything. Tamao didn't care, and let him follow her.

He had lasted long, but he'd faint soon enough. He had to. There was no doubt he would. Or was there?


	12. Bystander

**Chapter 11: Bystander**

The more steps she walked with still hearing the steps of the red-haired boy from behind her, the more anxious Tamao became. She had already asked herself a thousand times why the others fainted and she didn't, but she had come to the conclusion it was because she knew Umbreon. But she now thought it couldn't be so. After all, this boy didn't know Umbreon, did he? He couldn't. Tamao had no idea who he was, do Umbreon couldn't know him either. They had always been together, back in the old days.

The boy followed Tamao calmly. He didn't seem surprised. Actually, he seemed too calm. Suddenly, Tamao couldn't handle it anymore. She turned around, and looked up to the boys' eyes.

" Who are you?!" she asked, a bit too loudly. She realized how suspicious she sounded.

At last, the boy looked surprised.

" What's that all of a sudden?" he asked, and Tamao tried to calm down. She took short breaths, as if after running a long distance, and stared at him, on her guard. There had been something fishy in that storm that had lead them here, and there was something fishy about this boy. She was sure of it.

" Tell me. Who are you? What was up with that thing outside?" Tamao asked. Better to start from the beginning.

" Oh, with Crystal? That's a long story. Anyway, you sound like you'd suspect me to be evil or something. I can assure you, I didn't kidnap those two or anything. They probably just got lost from us, it is quite dark in here", the boy said, and sounded amused. Tamao became annoyed.

" Listen, I know what happened to the two as well as you do. Now please tell me; who are you?"

" Hnn? You do?" the boy looked very surprised now. Tamao felt weird, but didn't look away.

" You do know what happened to them, right?" she asked carefully.

" Pretty much. Do you?"

" No doubt."

" Interesting… I was wondering why you wouldn't…" the boy muttered, and seemed to examine Tamao with his eyes, as much as he could see in the darkness.

Tamao decided to take a chance.

" …Faint?" she filled in for him. The boy smiled an interesting smile.

" Exactly. You _do_ know what's going on after all!" he said. He sounded delighted.

" I told you so, didn't I?" Tamao snapped. She felt uncomfortable. How much did this boy know?

" Interesting… You might even know more than I do!" the boy continued ever so cheerfully.

" I certainly hope so…" Tamao muttered. Unfortunately, the boy seemed to hear her.

" So… You've been in a similar situation before?" he asked.

Tamao decided not to lie, but be very round about.

" Twice", she answered blankly.

" I win. I've seen this happen five times. So, you've got any idea what's waiting for us in the end of the darkness?"

" Yes."

" So you're a brave one, then?"

" I wouldn't say that."

Tamao stared at the boy, and he still seemed very interested in her.

" So, you have seen it. But do you know what it is? If you do, please tell me. See, I've got no clue", the boy said. Was he playing her?

" I… don't know", Tamao lied. So it seemed he had seen Umbreon. But when he said he didn't know what he was, he might be speaking the truth. If so, he didn't need to know.

The boy narrowed his eyes, but he was still smiling.

" Whatever you say", he said. He didn't seem to believe her. Tamao didn't care. He couldn't force her to talk.

The boy yawned, as the mist around them seemed to get darker. Tamao sighed. If the boy had made it to see Umbreon, he obviously wasn't going to faint. But why? Why didn't he?

" _This isn't the time to think about that. I'll figure it out later. Right now, only finding Umbreon and rescuing him matters, even if I'll be stuck with this guy while I do it!"_ she told herself, and gripped her hands.

" So… You wanted to know who I was, didn't you?" the boy suddenly asked. He still sounded cheerful.

" Well, it'd be handier. I'm sick of thinking of you as 'the red-haired boy'", Tamao answered. She tried to distract him. He seemed smart; she didn't want to have him fool her to say something she didn't want to say.

The boy muttered something, apparently annoyed by her comment, but then smiled again.

" Sure, whatever. Anyway, if I tell you my name, I'll have to hear yours."

" You sound like you're trying to blackmail me or something. What do I care if you know my name?" Tamao snapped. This boy really annoyed her at times.

" That's the right attitude!" the boy laughed. Why did he sound so… evil when he laughed? It was annoying!

" Well?" Tamao snapped again.

" Yes, yes. The name is Silver. You then?"

" Tamao."

" Like that… what was it again…? Kimono girl?"

" I am that Kimono girl. Or was… However you please."

" Oh? I thought you looked familiar. But I figured your hair is too short."

" Oh, really?" Tamao asked, but couldn't help but to notice that it was the second time someone had said her hair was too short. What was up with that? She liked it as it was, it was easy to take care of and all! Long hair had been so troublesome… And besides, she had always had it tied up, so what did it really matter?

" Really. That and…" Silver started. Tamao didn't really want to hear, but asked anyway.

" And what?" she sighed.

" Well, I thought you were dead."

" Dead?"

" Yeah. I heard rumours that you died in that fire thing five years ago. Oh wait, it wasn't you, was it now?"

" Obviously. Or do I look like a ghost?" Tamao felt extremely annoyed, but Silver ignored her and continued.

" It was your pokemon, wasn't it? Which was it again, Espeon?"

" Umbreon. And yes, he died then." Why did she even bother to answer him?

" Right. Cool," the boy named Silver said. Tamao couldn't believe her ears.

" What's cool about that?!" she snapped.

" No, no, I didn't mean that it's cool that your pokemon died, or anything. Geez, I just meant it's cool that you're a kimono girl", Silver said, apparently a little annoyed by Tamao yelling at him.

" Was", Tamao muttered, trying to calm down.

" Right, was. I'll remember that", Silver told her, and seemed to have calmed down in an instant.

For a while, they just stood there, staring at each other. Tamao's boiling started to calm down, and she sighed. Why were things so complicated? Could this Silver guy just do her a favour and faint, so she wouldn't need to worry about him? Not that she cared what happened to him, she just feared he might mess things up even worse than they already were.

" Well then. Shall we go?" Silver suddenly asked. He seemed to be on a good mood, as opposed to Tamao.

" Sure", she answered. Her voice was a lit calmer now than before.

Silver smiled at her, and started walking, not behind her this time, but by her. Tamao felt him looking at her, all of the time. It annoyed her, so she decided to start a conversation.

" So what's that long story with you and Crystal?" she asked him. Not that she really cared, but there wasn't really anything else she could talk to him about. They both knew what the weather was like.

" Oh, so you want to hear?"

" Whatever. I'm bored", Tamao said, without really caring what came out of her mouth.

" Bored in a situation like this. Now that's cool. I think I like you", Silver sounded like he was pleased, too.

" Yeah, yeah. I love you too. Tell me", Tamao told him. Silver snorted, but as Tamao glanced at him, he still looked cheerful. It was very odd when a person with angry eyes looked happy. Tamao had to tell herself, twice, that it wasn't cool at all.

" I just don't get that girl. She never had a problem in battling me before! But I guess she's so mighty now, she doesn't consider even the Elite four as worthy for fighting her, let alone some loser like me!" Silver sounded really angry now.

" You're a loser?" Tamao knew it'd probably anger him, but she still just had to ask.

" Compared to her, I am! Have you ever seen that girl battle?"

" Once. Five years ago", Tamao answered him. She was a little surprised of Silver's answer. She had thought for sure that he'd get insulted.

" Well, yeah, I last saw her battle seriously a little over four years ago. After that she's just been messing around; withdrew herself from the league, and won't even fight me! I just don't get her", Silver spoke in a tone that sounded like he was remembering something unpleasant.

" _I do…"_ Tamao thought, and felt uncomfortable. She somewhat knew her reason after all. She had no idea why this boy was so worked up about her not battling him, but she could guess why she didn't. Silver's Meganium had been quite impressive, after all. She'd guess her to be around level 70, if not higher. Way stronger than the Elite four. And he called himself a loser.

" She used to be so ambitious, you know. Whatever I did, she just kept beating me in battles. It was annoying! Then one day she just declared that she had gotten bored to me, and wouldn't fight. I couldn't find her for months, and after I did, she still wouldn't fight. And that's pretty much how it had been until now, and how it still is", Silver said in a voice full of bitterness. No, he nearly spitted out the words.

" Too bad for you, I guess", Tamao muttered, and Silver growled at her. Now he was annoyed. It could be that it was the thought of Crystal that annoyed him, not Tamao. Either way, Tamao felt better when he wasn't so calm.

" So… Why is it such a big deal that she won't battle you? Did you travel with her or something?" Tamao asked after a silence. She was a little curious, but could have lived without knowing too.

" No… We weren't any friendlier then than we are now. Actually, I've never been as friendly with her as I'm with you now." Silver laughed oddly after he finished his sentence. He aimed a strange glance at Tamao. She got annoyed, because she couldn't figure out what he was thinking.

" Then why?" Tamao didn't need to be any more specific.

" I guess you could say I was somewhat like a rival to her. She was the first one I fought after I st - received - my starter, and…"

Tamao had heard that correcting before, and knew exactly what Silver had almost blurted out.

" Oh, that's nice. So you stole your starter?" she interrupted him. She couldn't see in the darkness, but she really hoped his face would finally have blushed. From anger, embarrassment, anything. She just couldn't stand having him so calm when she herself was more afraid than she had ever been. She was pretty much on her own. One red-haired guy didn't offer much safety.

Silver just snorted.

" Yeah. Big deal. Don't act like you're so smart."

" I am so smart", Tamao muttered. Silver snorted again.

" You… Are you trying to annoy me?" Silver suddenly asked. He had gotten to the hang of it.

" Yes", Tamao answered, as blankly as she could.

" Why?"

" Because I'm annoyed."

" Why?"

" What does it really matter? Would you just go ahead and get annoyed and save me a lot of trouble of annoying you? I'm seriously not bored enough to keep on coming up with edgy things to say", Tamao held her hand on her forehead as she spoke. She was getting a headache.

Silver stayed quiet for a while. He didn't seem annoyed, more like he was lost in thoughts, but it gave Tamao enough time to calm herself down again. Why did this boy drive her to the peek of her every emotion? Maybe it was his straightforward personality, she didn't know. Even so, it was very bothersome.

" You know more than you tell", Silver said after a while. He sounded like a sulking kid. Tamao didn't bother to cover up, not now. After she'd get this over with, and get out of the cave, she'd probably never meet this boy again. So there was nothing to worry about.

" This is none of your business. I can't see any good reason to tell you anything", she muttered, and sighed when done.

" It isn't? Then how come I never faint when this black thingamajig appears, but everyone else does?" Silver sounded insulted as he asked.

" That's what I'm trying to figure out…" Tamao muttered. Silver made a silent snort.

" So, this is none of my business, but it is yours? How so?" he then continued in an insulted tone.

" I just said I don't see any reason to tell you", Tamao was actually calm as she spoke.

" Oh, is that so? Seems to me like you're in some major trouble."

Tamao sighed.

" I guess I am", she mumbled, seriously not wanting to be heard. She failed; Silver looked at her, more interested than ever.

" I'm not really the type to listen to people's worries, but you've got me curious. Why don't you tell me about it?" silver sounded gentle as he spoke, but that gentleness did not reach the content of his sentence.

" No." As simple as that.

" Oh, come on! Don't you have any feelings at all?"

" Feelings, eh?" Tamao felt anger rising in her heart, once again. However, this time she was furious.

" So the fact that I won't tell you about this means I have no feelings? So the fact that I don't want to mess some bystander to this mess… means I'm cold? The fact that I don't enjoy this means I have no heart?" She muttered, with a tone more menacing than she even realized.

Silver seemed to jump a little.

" Oy, calm down, you! I never said…" he started unsurely, but Tamao was already reaching her limits.

" Do you think this is fun? Do you seriously think I just want to keep all the enjoyment for myself?! Well here's a newsflash for you, my friend; this is far from fun! This is pretty much hurting every single person around me, so that I could correct one mistake, one mistake I didn't know I made, one mistake that I still can't see! And thanks to that little ignorance, I'm stuck having no idea what's wrong with him, why he ended up like this! But because of that, I have to pick a future for him, and not one choice is a good one! Only because… Only because… I don't even… know…"

There, she had exploded. She had screamed everything she felt at some red-haired boy who just happened to stand by her. The dark cave echoed with her scream, as she fell on her knees. It had all come out. Game over.

But the truth had come out, for herself too. Even though she herself had not realized it, it was all clear now; ever since she learned of what had happened to Umbreon, even before Ho-oh had called for her… No, it was before that. Ever since the fire, she had always searched, looked for something in her memories. Before she returned to Johto, she had tried to find a reason for the fire. She had tried to figure out what caused it. For her, the explanation of an unattended candle was not enough. There hadn't been any; Koume never burned candles so late in the night. Why would she? Why would anyone? There had to be another reason.

And somehow, being the young girl she was back then, Tamao had come to the conclusion she was the one who started the fire. Though she didn't know how, she kept remembering that night, trying to figure out what she did wrong… But without finding anything. Any reasonable person would have thought it could just mean she simply didn't start the fire, but the part of her that thought this had never been reasonable. It still wasn't. After all, she realized this all now, as she was on her knees in the cold, dark cave. As late as now, she realized why she had felt so guilty every time she would wake up, no matter where she were, why she had almost never remembered her dreams. All those nights, she had spent on blaming herself, and trying to find the reason to blame herself.

And nothing had changed after this all started. However, she had not been blaming herself of the fire anymore; now, she had found the true reason to be sorry. Umbreon had harboured that amazing feeling of guilt, the feeling that made him risk his life for her, and was now causing this chaotic situation for him and her. That guilt had not come out of nothing. And Tamao was sure it had not come out of Umbreon alone did. After all, Umbreon had always been very sensitive in personality. He wouldn't do anything that he'd feel guilty for later. He just wouldn't. Unless…

Unless Tamao would somehow have asked for it, or looked like she needed it. There was no other explanation… There couldn't be! Umbreon would have done anything for her, she was sure he would have come to rescue her even without the guilt… Or would he? Yes… Tamao was sure. She would have done anything for him. She still would. Glacia, Leafia, and even Murkrow would do anything for her now. Umbreon had never been any different.

And that was exactly why Tamao couldn't talk herself out of it. Blaming herself for the fire had been stupid… probably. But this was something she really had done. Something so horrible, selfish, ignorant… Something that caused Umbreon to feel guilty. And so, when the fire had happened, he had probably felt responsible for it, and rushed to save her, thinking it was the only way he could…

Tamao felt sick. Not only because of the horrible things she thought about, but also because even though she was sure the guilt originated from her, she just didn't know what she had done. No matter how she tried, all she could remember were happy, peaceful times with Umbreon. Everything that came to her mind was a joyful childhood. Nothing that'd cause guilt that would start a dark circle like this. She had done something horrible, and yet she couldn't recognize or remember what it was.

All this, plus the tings she had known, Tamao had held inside for such a long time. Oh, if she only would have gone through them herself, she wouldn't have started yelling like this. So now she had a boy finding out her deepest feelings at the same time she realized them herself. Why did it have to go this way?

As she held her face in her hands, Tamao was deeply ashamed of what had just happened, but knew she would have burst eventually anyway. Morty had always told her it would happen one day, and she had read enough to know it would. However, she had always hoped she'd manage to avoid it… She had hoped she'd be above it. Pain was… pain was something everyone had. No-one else whined about it, so why couldn't she keep it inside like they did?

Silver stood there, quietly, watching the girl nearly fall apart. His face had finally blushed, and he made an uncomfortable sound. Tamao saw him move form one leg to the other from between her fingers, and suddenly, she heard his troubled voice.

" Oy, uh… I wouldn't know, but…But it seems to me like you've been blaming yourself for nothing for a long time now…" he muttered, and looked away sheepishly.

Tamao felt like someone would have tugged her heart as he said it. She raised her head, and stared at Silver.

" …For nothing?" she managed to mutter.

" Well, uh, yeah. I don't really know what you were talking about just now, but… If you've tried to search for a mistake you made so hard, failing all of the time, then how come you're so sure there is one? It could be that, you know…" the boy blushed even more, but his red hair made his face still look pale. He looked away, and muttered the rest of his sentence.

" …that you've done nothing wrong at all."

Tamao stared at the embarrassed boy, and held back a sad smile. So the bad boy was actually sweet, eh? That sure was a major cliché. Even so, it made her feel a little better.

She got up, and Silver looked at her, still a little sheepishly. She looked at him seriously, not wanting to confuse him with her horrendous smile.

" Thanks. But I'm pretty sure you're wrong. It was…" she mumbled, and then looked at her hands, where the black mist kept swirling. She sighed, and finished her sentence very quietly.

" …A long time ago."

" Hmph. Whatever", Silver muttered, and started walking. Uneagerly, Tamao followed him.

" So, now that you exploded at me, do you still feel the need to annoy me?" Silver raised his voice, so that the girl behind him could hear.

Tamao didn't know for sure, but she was pretty sure she was blushing. As her feelings were slowly starting to settle down, and return to silently exist where they had been before they had violently blurted out at the same time, she started feeling controlled again. Controlled and very embarrassed.

" I guess not", she muttered. Silver turned around, with his evil grin on.

" Good. Because you'll be stuck with me for a while", he said, and his left eye twitched a little. Was he trying to wink?

Tamao felt frustrated.

" After you see me break down in the pressure of this all, you still want to come with me? If I were you, I would have run away fast by now", she told the boy in front of him, and coolly walked past him. Silver stayed behind for a while, but then caught up with her.

" Seeing that just made me more curious. Besides, I'm used to drama. I can handle everything that comes to my way", he said confidentially, sounding a little cocky.

" You do realize that it's my way were talking about?" Tamao asked him, but he just snorted again. Oddly enough, upon knowing this person for such a short time, Tamao was already getting used to his snort.

" It doesn't say your name anywhere on it, does it? I walk whatever way I want to", Silver started. He sounded oddly relaxed, different from the calmness that had annoyed Tamao. It seemed that this state of relaxation was new to him too, because he let out a very quiet 'huh…?' after he finished his sentence.

" I guess it can't be helped. I don't really care. You're a stranger, so if you get hurt, it doesn't concern me, does it now?" Tamao muttered, more to herself, but Silver answered her anyway.

" Precisely. I can even be useful to you, because I happen to be quite powerful. And as long as you refuse to tell me what you know, it'd be bad for me if you got hurt."

" Well, that sounds unfair. I guess I can be pretty cruel", Tamao tried to sound thoughtful as she spoke.

" Life is. Both cruel and unfair."

" And all we can do is to stop whining and get over it, then?"

" Pretty much. No-one forces you to stop whining though."

" You won't mind if I whine?"

" Go ahead."

The conversation was getting weirder, so Tamao quieted down. It was odd how well she was able to speak to a person who had just seen her in the most embarrassing state she knew. Even Morty had never seen her break down like that. She had broken down in front of him, but not like this. This was far more radical. And yet she was relieved that it hadn't been with Morty. The way Silver just said very little, and ignored most of her situation… It was probably why she had been able to pull herself together so quickly. Even now, she felt as if nothing had happened. She had made a painful realization, but she felt like she had before she entered the cave.

Suddenly, Tamao realized that she was a bit too calm, so calm that if it had been Silver a while ago, she would have gotten annoyed. What had just happened didn't bother her, and her destination didn't frighten her. Even though she knew that there, in the darkest spot of this mist, Umbreon was waiting for her. He was probably scared, confused and suffering in every way. There could be another heated battle. But she wasn't afraid. Did Silver make her feel so safe? No, it couldn't be.

The boy was surely powerful, but Tamao doubted he stood a chance against Umbreon. The powers legendary pokemon possessed… Who knew how huge they were? A regular person like her and Silver could not fight them. That was why the legendaries were usually at Tamao's side. She couldn't see them now, but that didn't mean they weren't here. And they weren't all she had.

Tamao felt the bag of Sacred ash in her pocket. She had hidden it there before her sisters had noticed. She had barely managed to do it, but the time had been just enough. Unfortunately, that has meant she had not had the time to clean her boots, but she didn't really care if they were dirty. In the dark like this, no-one could even see the mud. She'd have plenty of time to clean them later.

Besides, right now, the thing that mattered was the sacred ash, not her boots. Even though it hurt her to think so, Tamao knew that if things would get rough, Glacia, Leafia, or maybe even Murkrow, would escape their pokeballs to help her. The ash would give them power. And once Tamao's safety would be assured, she'd probably be able to try to reach to Umbreon, so she could save him. It couldn't be any more complicated than that. It was hard, but not complicated. She was sure of it.

It bothered Tamao that everything had come to this. There was a lot of suffering that could as well not have happened. However, no matter how she wanted, she couldn't change it. All she could do was work hard, so that the future would hold so much joy that all the suffering would become a distant thing in the past, just like her joyful childhood felt to be now. It wasn't necessarily just to her. She was fine with pain; after all, without pain, no joy would be true. But still; she was sure she'd be able to give Umbreon a future full of joy, and almost no pain. He had suffered enough to be happy for the rest of eternity, after all. And whether that future had place for her or not, well, that was something that didn't matter. It hurt her, but there, right then, Tamao made a painful decision.

She had searched for the reason of the guilt. She couldn't find it. But she didn't need to. Because if Umbreon would forget about her, he would forget about that guilt. He would become a true legendary pokemon, and roam the land of Johto, happily, with the pain he once had as a mere memory he couldn't quite understand. It might not be a very pleasant thing, not remembering who he had once been, but it was the best Tamao could achieve. Having him die was something she could not fight for.

She knew that this whole time she gad been fighting for Umbreon's life. However, she had been unable to choose what life; the memories of the life they had had together, or the life that awaited him in the future. She now understood that even though memories were precious, in this situation they were just something that was in the past. Bygone. Even though for her, if her memories would have been erased, she would not have had a future waiting, Umbreon did have. He, instead, was in a situation in which if he would keep those memories that he didn't have a future.

And even though it meant that Tamao admitted herself as a bygone part of the past, she decided that the future was more precious than the past. Rather than having Umbreon remember times that had secretly been painful for him due to guilt, while he died alone, she would grant him a future. As a free, powerful being. A legendary pokemon, rather than an out-of-control being that was slowly fading away.

So, she had finally decided. She knew it'd be the best for him too. She had wanted to do what he wanted, but she now understood he was most likely unable to decide in his current state. Her own decision hurt Tamao, but it also made her feel satisfied. She felt like she could finally see the road ahead of her. Until now, she had been walking in darkness. Now that she knew what she was heading towards, she was not afraid. There was nothing to be afraid of. One who had a goal walked with confident steps. When walking with steps that did not waver, one would not fall.

" _There is nothing to be afraid of_", Tamao told herself, and smiled internally. Maybe some of it got out, since Silver looked at her with a questioning expression. He opened his mouth, probably about to say something, when his attention suddenly switched to something ahead of them.

" There it is!" he gasped. Tamao raised her head and looked, knowing what she'd see.

The mist became darker as it thickened ahead of them. And there, at the darkest spot of the whole cave, two, shining yellow eyes were staring at the two. Tama could not make out of the expression in them, but she knew that Umbreon knew who she was. He probably recognized Silver too, if he really had seen Umbreon five times before.

" Umbreon…" Tamao mumbled softly, hoping he wouldn't get scared. Silver noted that.

" Umbreon? _That's_ an _Umbreon_?" he asked, sounding extremely shocked.

Tamao kept her eyes on Umbreon, but nodded quickly, hoping Silver would get it. Umbreon's eyes flickered a little. He was confused.

" Wha…? Seriously?! What the heck happened to it?" Silver gasped again, in a very loud voice.

Tamao didn't know whether Umbreon reacted to Silver's words or his tone of voice, but even so, his eyes suddenly flickered menacingly, and in the instant, the cave became darker than it probably had ever been before. Tamao couldn't even see Silver, who was right beside her. She knew he was there just because she could hear him breathe, and gasp as everything blackened around them.

" Oh… So now were in trouble, then?" Tamao heard Silver mutter to her.

" Yes. Thanks to you", she answered him sincerely.

" W-we'll heave to fight that thing?" Silver did sound like he was afraid, but not as afraid as he probably should have in this situation. Was he brave or just moody?

" Probably. Don't worry; we'll be just fine." Tamao was sure of it. Somehow, she still wasn't the least bit afraid. She felt sad for Umbreon, and hated the fact that he was suffering, but she did not fear him. He was still her childhood friend, her loyal pokemon.

" If you say so", Silver muttered. Tamao heard his legs take a few steps, and she could now hear him breathing closer to her.

" Be careful", she told him.

" Yeah, you too", he answered. He was hiding the fear in his voice pretty well.

That was as much as could be said, because right after he finished his sentence, Tamao suddenly felt him twitch by her.

" What's wro-?" she started, but was interrupted by Silver making a scream of both surprise and pain.

For a while, Tamao was just dazed, not understanding what had happened, but that was when she suddenly remembered something.

Tamao raised her hand, so she could see it clearly with her eyes. It was just how she had suspected.

Black rays, surrounded by a blood-red glow, were sizzling around her hand. And as she looked to the direction she heard Silvers fast breathing and silent whining from, she could see occasional red sparks.

The battle had started. And even though Silver was immune to the mist like she was, it seemed that that did not apply to the rays. Even though he held his scream back, Silver was very much in pain.


	13. Fearless

**A little note**

Yes, I know this chapter took me long. I'm sorry about that, I was busy. But that was not my point for now…

The subject of this note is actually Leafias and Glacias names. As we know by now, the English names of these two pokemon have been confirmed as Leafeon and Glaceon. However, since the two have been referred to as Leafia and Glacia for the whole story, I don't think I should suddenly change that, as it would be a little confusing. I don't find this a problem though; after all, as a kimono girl, it isn't that weird for Tamao to refer to the two with their Japanese names. One could say that she prefers to use the Japanese names because of her background, or they can also be considered as nicknames. Whichever you like better.

I just thought I'd mention this.

Thank you for reading Moonlit days!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter 12: Fearless**

Tamao knew she had to do something, fast, if she wanted to get some help from Silver. The pain might knock him out any minute. She didn't know how bad it was, after all, she hadn't felt it, but she had seen what it did for a legendary pokemon. And if a being so powerful was nearly crushed by those rays, how long would a human boy last, no matter how tough?

However, she had no idea what to do. She took wavering steps towards where she had seen Umbreon, though it was impossible to tell whether it was the right way, it was extremely dark. Tamao couldn't even see the flickering yellow eyes of the being that had once been her pokemon.

"Ugh!" she suddenly gasped, when her lungs took a deep breath all of a sudden. Her throat wheezed, and her body was suddenly taken over by wild shaking and coughs.

" _Wha…?!"_ she thought, as she was unable to stop the coughing. She fell on the ground, holding her throat, trying to get herself together.

The coughing had stricken in a split second, and wouldn't let go of her. It was so bad, Tamao didn't even hear Silver's silent mourning in pain.

" Hey… What… Are you…? Agh!" she could hear Silver trying to speak to her, but the pain he seemed to be feeling was too much for him, and he fell silent.

" _Idiot",_ Tamao thought as she kept coughing harder and harder.

" _He should concentrate on fighting the pain, not talking!" _

There was not much she could do. Even though she too tried to talk, somehow contact Umbreon, the cough stopped her. She was unable to make any noise, other than the wild wheeze in her throat. Tamao knew she had only one choice. But she didn't have the heart to do it. She didn't want to… But yet it happened.

Two of her pokeballs bursted open, and in a red flash, Leafia and Glacia were standing in front of her. They looked like they were going to charge, no matter what happened.

Tamao knew that the pokemon she raised had the habit of, if not starting off, at least turning stubborn. That was a feature she couldn't see in herself, but it was possible she didn't know herself entirely. That had been already proven today, when she had yelled at Silver. Even so, stubborn pokemon, such as Murkrow, never turned any less stubborn with her. Glacia, who had been cold and drawn back ever since Umbreon died had become stubborn enough to fight for her without her asking her to. Leafia was nervous, but he had recently started controlling his fear better in situations even Tamao would have wanted to withdraw from.

The only way Tamao could explain this was that the stubbornness had to somehow originate from her, even though she didn't know what part of her was stubborn. Being so close with others changed both parties. When Tamao was little, she had been extremely bubbly and wild, never thinking after anything. Umbreon had been very cool and collected, and when he was still an Eevee, when they first met, he had even been a little scared of the wild little girl who was going to train him in the future. There had been some hard times at first, but eventually the two had learned to understand each other. Tamao had learned to concentrate her energy, rather than wasting it in running around, and Umbreon had relaxed a little. Because they had been so close, they had adapted things from each other, and become similar in nature.

So maybe that had happened here too? Some part of her was stubborn, maybe a part that had been left hiding in her since she had calmed down. And that part was such a great part of her it even left marks on the pokemon and people she interacted with? Maybe. But it didn't matter for now.

What mattered for now was that Leafia and Glacia were both staring at her, probably waiting for her to take the sacred ash, and give them power. But were there guarantees it would work the same way it had last time? It was likely, but not set in stone. Tamao didn't want to risk the two, even though they so bravely wished to protect her.

But they weren't afraid. Just like she didn't fear for herself, they didn't fear for themselves. All the three looking at each other feared for was that someone else got hurt. When Tamao thought about the chance of herself being injured, she just thought, surely, that it wouldn't happen. But when she thought about the silently suffering Silver by her, the two pokemon wishing to fight for her, the one pokemon respecting her wish in her pokeball, that was when she felt a sting in her heart.

That was when another wild coughing took over her body, and Tamao had to kneel. She coughed, and felt that if it wouldn't stop soon, she wouldn't be able to breathe. But that was the least of her problems.

Silver had just made a silent gasp, and Leafia had suddenly yet out a small roar. Tamao could barely see the two in front of her in the darkness, but she could see that the two were now surrounded by black-and-red rays.

" Oh no…" she muttered between her coughs. She had been left with no choice.

Tamao, still coughing, slowly put a lot of strength to her feet. She placed one hand on the ground, and left one on her mouth, trying to keep down her coughing, at least a little. Slowly, she managed to get up. She took up the item, the pouch with the ash, which was glittering even in this infinite darkness. Somehow, the Sacred ash revolted her, but right now it was Tamao's only hope.

" I know this is what you want, but… It's against my will", Tamao said as loudly as she could. Her sentence was interrupted by coughing several times, but Leafia and Glacia, fighting back the pain they were feeling, just like silver did, heard her and understood. Tamao could see their eyes glimmering in the darkness.

" However… If I have to let this matter off my hands, I'll rather it to be to you than to anyone else", Tamao then finished, in a deep sigh.

She felt a wave of both disappointment and satisfaction slash over her, leaving her feeling even more shaky outside than she was outside in her coughing and trembling state. She was disappointed that she had willingly agreed to assist her friends to do something so dangerous. But she was satisfied that she had finally managed to admit to herself that this was not something she could do alone. She couldn't. She didn't have the strength, or the right. This involved others than her. This involved Glacia as Umbreon's sister, and Leafia as both Tamao's and Glacia's friend. Murkrow too. It even involved Silver, now that he had willingly walked into this battle. So it wasn't her responsibility to fight alone and chase away anyone trying to help her. It was her responsibility to make sure that everyone involved would get out safe, even if it meant she had to give them the means to fight. And that was exactly what she had to do now.

Tamao gripped to the pouch of the ash, tighter than she ever had gripped to an item. She could feel the sacred power left to the ashes of Ho-oh's fire, it tingled her fingertips. If she could switch places with her pokemon, she would. If she could be the one to receive the power, she'd do it without hesitating. She wasn't the bravest person there is, but she had a heart. A heart that told her to protect, cherish those who had protected her, treasure those who had ever been dear to her. Even if she was afraid, even if she'd rather escape to the end of the world, she knew. Acting upon those feelings was the only thing she could do. For Umbreon… For everyone.

But she wasn't afraid.

She hated the fact that she had to do what she was about to do, but she still didn't fear. Everything would turn out okay. Even if the legendaries weren't here. Even if she wouldn't manage to rescue Umbreon now. There'd be other chances. There was still time. It was not a grave situation just yet. She still had time for second chances. And if she did her best, she would be able to achieve her goal. And once that would be done, she would never need to feel such worry again. She would be able to leave Johto, but stronger than when she left it five years ago. She would be able to return, whenever she wanted. She wouldn't need to run anymore, but she didn't need to pretend to be stronger than she really was. If she'd just fake her powers as long as Umbreon needed to see her strong, she'd be able to rescue him. After that, she'd just be who she is, without any danger to it.

This was what Tamao decided, as she fearlessly took some ash with her fingers. Not much, but she was sure it'd be enough. This was a sacred item, after all.

Tamao looked at Leafia and Glacia in front of her, both in pain, but both with clear eyes. She nodded slightly, and then opened the grip in her finger. The glittering ash was released, and started flying through the darkness. The ash flew to Leafia and Glacia, as if they would have drawn the sacred power to themselves.

In a third of a moment, a bright light had pierced the darkness. The shine emitting from Tamao's two dear pokemon lighted the area, and for a while Tamao could see the small room she was standing in. The rocks, the water silently floating by them… The astonished look on Silver's face as he stared at the two pokemon going through a wondrous transformation. It was no doubt like nothing he had ever seen before.

In a moment, the light had dimmed down, save from four bright spots, shining in front of Tamao. She couldn't see her two pokemon in the darkness, but she knew Glacia would have once again gained her glorious form, and Leafia would have gained a similar one. Glacia's eyes were shining the same light blue light, Leafia's were light green. Tamao sighed.

" Just do what you must", she mumbled softly, looking down.

" And no more. No one is to get hurt."

She wasn't sure if she saw a nod in the shining green eyes, but in an instant, the lights were gone. The speed of the legendary pokemon had flown her two friends to Umbreon already. She couldn't hear a thing, so she knew they had not attacked yet. She didn't know their plan, but she trusted them. Neither of them ever did anything rash; Glacia always thought things over coolly, and Leafia wouldn't dare to run into anything, wanting to avoid any mistakes.

As Tamao silently gazed towards the direction where she had seen the yellow eyes flicker occasionally, she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned a little, and saw that the hand belonged to Silver. He wasn't looking at her, but rather the way she had looked just a moment ago, the way Leafia and Glacia had disappeared to.

Silver looked tired, as if he would just have run a marathon. He was taking as deep breaths as he could, and his eyes were not fully open. His hair was a little messed up. Tamao wasn't sure if it was just the darkness, but it appeared that his clothes were dirty too. He was exhausted by the pain. However, there were no red-and-black rays recklessly flying around his body, causing him the pain that was still unknown to Tamao.

Tamao knew what he wanted to know, but was not sure how he was going to ask it, so she remained quiet, and looked at him. After a while of staring into the darkness, apparently awed, he turned to look at Tamao. Their eyes met, and neither looked away. They stared into each other's eyes in the darkness. It was dead quiet.

Silver was the one who broke the silence first.

" I think… I realize what you got so worked up about earlier."

" That's all you want to say? No questions, no yelling and screaming wanting to know who I am?"

" No. Good guys do things like that, but I'm the bad guy, remember? Besides, it seems that were in a life threatening situation here, so this isn't really the best place to start asking questions."

" Are you going to ask them later?"

" Wha-? I don't know. If no-one's going to answer them, it's a waste of time to even ask question."

Tamao looked down upon hearing his words. Somehow, she felt like she owed something to this guy…

" I might answer you", she muttered, not sure if she hoped Silver would hear or not.

Silver made a strange sound. He sounded like he was mocking her, he sounded surprised, but the also sounded pleased. Tamao wondered if she had done the right thing, but somehow always came to the conclusion she had done as well as she could.

Tamao heard a small sound that indicated that someone was about to speak, but whether it was her or Silver, she never found out. Before the sentence managed to start, flash of light took over the room, and just after it dimmed down, a loud crack covered all sound under it. Tamao felt silver grab her shoulder harder, as a reflex, and she herself gripped her hands tightly.

It was frustrating not to see anything. Tamao could hear silent growling, and from the cool feeling on her skin she got the feeling the one who growled was Glacia. But she didn't know what was happening, she couldn't see at all. Leafia and Glacia were probably moving, because she would only occasionally see the flash of their eyes. Umbreon she couldn't see at all. It was like no light was able to pierce this deep darkness.

Silver spoke her thoughts aloud.

" Heck, it's too dark, we can't do anything!" his voice sounded furious, frustrated. Maybe he had had a plan. Tamao wasn't sure. Even so, it seemed that he knew what he wanted to do better than she knew about herself. She just knew she wanted to do something, not just stand there staring. But what, that she didn't know. For a while, she envied Silver for being able to think clearly.

Then suddenly, she felt the grip on her shoulder loosening. Tamao looked at Silver, just to see a determined look in his eyes. Then, without a warning, he let go of her shoulder, passed her, and ran towards the darkness, disappearing to the way the growling could be heard from.

" What are you doing, you idiot?!" Tamao gasped in horror.

" What does it look like?" she could hear Silver's voice shouting. She wasn't sure how far away he was from her, but he didn't seem to be in the mid of the small battlefield yet.

" It looks like you're trying to get yourself killed, that's what it looks like!" Tamao shrieked at him.

" Oh come on! Like you're afraid to take risks!"

" Oh come on, we met for about an hour ago, how would you know?! Even so, that's different from what you're doing, you moron! You're just running around like a headless Psyduck!"

Tamao was angry. No, she wasn't afraid for Silver. That guy seemed to have a lot of guts in him, he had even easily recovered from a pain that had harshly shaken legendary pokemon. But the fact that he pretty much had no plan, he just ran around, probably hoping Umbreon would trip on him or something as stupid as that. How did he hope to achieve anything like that? Sure, Tamao wasn't a person who always made a plan for everything; there wouldn't even be time for that now. Even so, it's quite good to know what you're doing before actually starting to do it! You should at least have an idea! Right now, it seemed like Silver was just… Unless he had a plan after all.

For a while, Tamao just stared to the darkness, and confusedly wondered if Silver actually knew what he was doing. But how come she didn't see his meaning? Had he figured out something she had not? But he didn't even know all the details!

" _Aww, the heck with this!"_ Tamao screamed in her head, and suddenly found herself running towards the darkness, where Silver had disappeared.

And she ran. She might have even run in circles, she didn't know. It was dark, and there was growling all around her. She could hear occasional claps, when the foot of either Leafia or Glacia hit the ground more harshly than usually. Silver was nowhere to be seen, heard or sensed. But Tamao didn't want to yell. She could be standing right by Umbreon, and in his unstable state, he might even get scared.

Where was she? She didn't know. She was still in the same area as before, but she couldn't see or feel anything but the ground under her running feet. Even the sounds of combat that reached her ears didn't give her any clues on where she was coming from or going. The occasional flashes of blue, green or yellow light missed her eyes. She was lost in the infinite darkness, caused by a mere feeling called guilt. It was so absurd she couldn't help but to wonder, even as she ran and hoped to find something. What, she didn't know. She felt ridiculous, just running around like that, doing the thing she had cursed a while ago, but still. Something had to be done. Maybe trusting sheer luck wouldn't end badly. After all, there wasn't anything else that could be done. There was absolutely nothing she could do for now.

Tamao had to stop, so she did. She was the one running around like a headless Psyduck. Not Silver.

Suddenly, Tamao felt a gentle breeze in her neck. She turned around, and saw slowing green eyes, slightly dimmer than earlier, look gently at her. Leafia was there.

" Leafia! Are you-?" she started, not even knowing what she was asking, but the gentle shake of the eyes calmed her down, oddly enough.

Tamao took a step closer, and could just about see Leafia's big and elegant figure. One of a legendary beast. Leafia kneeled down in front of her. She knew what he wanted, so she circled him, threw her leg over his back, and jumped on. In the instant she managed to grab hold of his back, she felt them leave the ground in an amazing speed. Tamao could only gasp, as she felt the air zooming by them, as Leafia flew through the darkness. She could see lights ahead of her. Leafia could probably see the fighting pokemon… Glacia and Umbreon. Maybe Silver had started fighting too, she didn't know. But right now, it didn't really matter. Right now, what mattered was what she had to do.

Suddenly Tamao thought of something. She had ignored it until now, because she had thought it didn't make any difference. The darkness was caused by such huge powers, after all but… Leafia and Glacia had gained a equal power from the ash… Had they not? If not equal, at least near!

She raised her head, and placed her hand on the head of the pokemon she was riding but could not quite see.

" Glacia!" she shouted, not too loudly, but loudly enough.

An icy wind answered her, as well as a deep voice, probably ten times stronger than Glacia's usual voice.

" Use Mirror coat!" Tamao continued, shouting so her throat hurt.

For a while, it was dead quiet. Nothing moved. No sound was heard. Was anyone even breathing? Tamao was holding her own breath, at least. Leafia had stopped, and seemed to be still like a statue as well. For a while, it seemed like time would have stopped in the darkness.

Then, a bright flash of light! Tamao felt blinded by the pure blue shining ahead of her, from the figure she knew to be Glacia. What she knew would happen had happened; the light wall Glacia had created was shining in an amazing light, who knows where it was reflected from. When shining with the powers of a legendary beast, the light Glacia made was stronger than it had ever been, stronger than anyone had ever dreamed it to be. And after that infinite darkness they all had stayed in for so long, it hurt their eyes. For a while, Tamao couldn't see anything at all.

Tamao had to close her eyes, and still the light shone brightly ahead of her. For now, it seemed too much, but she knew it was good. They had managed to penetrate the darkness, which was their greatest enemy up till now. They could finally see what was going on.

Tamao opened her eyes, and finally saw her surroundings. It was a small, round area in the cave. She was riding the magnificent, legendary form of Leafia, and far ahead, was the shining from of Glacia she had seen in the forest. Silver was standing very near her, holding his eyes while gripping his hands harshly. The light seemed to have taken him by surprise.

Umbreon was there, though he was hardly visible. The light had not made the black mist disappear, but was simply shining inside of it. The mist was still there, but rather than black, it seemed light grey, and Tamao could easily see though it. Like regular mist. Though she knew that it only appeared so; if Glacia were to stop shining, the mist would return to its horrifying dark state.

Umbreon was like this too. After all, his body was made of that mist. Right now, he appeared as he always had, only it seemed that he was only slightly more grey than the mist around them. The light in his eyes was so dim it was hardly visible in the shine coming from the icicles in Glacia's fur. Any light would have seemed like a shadow when compared to this brightness.

Tamao had realized that she had made it both better and worse by telling Glacia to use flash. Of course, having light made it easier to comprehend the battle, easier for her to confront Umbreon. However, Umbreon himself seemed very shaken by the light, but since he'd get used to it too, that wasn't the real problem. The problem was that if Glacia was to keep up the light, she could not move.

Ages ago, when Tamao had tried to get through a dark cave, she had realized she didn't have the HM flash. She had wandered to the dark cave, hoping she'd find her way anyway. She had ended up totally lost, but in the cave, Glacia had learned Mirror Coat. When she had used it, it had collected every single ray of light nearby, and reflected them into one, bright light. Tamao didn't know how it was possible, but ever since then, she had always done this to avoid darkness. When concentrating on lighting the way, Glacia had found it hard to walk. That was why she couldn't move; she used all of her energy and concentration in keeping on the light. Usually, when needing light, Tamao would just carry her as they walked, as she wasn't that heavy. Leafia, and sometimes Murkrow, had done the fighting.

Of course, right now it was more serious than that. If Glacia couldn't move, she couldn't defend herself. So everything, fighting and protecting her, would be up to Leafia, and Silver, if he'd even be of any help.

Tamao saw Silver from the corner of her eye. He seemed tired, as he stood in a corner, staring. He had a defeated expression, though Tamao couldn't understand what it meant. She sighed, frustrated with herself, and decided to deal with the guy later. She still hadn't done what she was supposed to do.

Umbreon wouldn't move. He just stood in another corner, looking straight at his trainer riding the pokemon he seemed to have fought in the darkness caused by himself. Tamao couldn't help but to admit that he looked sad, almost pathetic. It hurt her heart to think about that word, but she had to admit it. There was no denying it.

" Leafia…" she whispered, so that she knew, she just knew, Umbreon wouldn't hear.

" …Charge…"

Leafia might not have understood the reason of her command, but he did what he was told, regardless. He made a soft leap, and Tamao found herself flying through the air once again, in a speed so amazing her eyes couldn't see anything but light grey around her. The pale yellow light ahead of her was the only thing she needed to concentrate on, though.

As Leafia was apparently about to attack, the light disappeared. Tamao felt them slowly land on the floor, and as she turned her head, she saw that Umbreon had dodged, and was now standing right next to them. She had no idea why, but she had known it would happen. She had known it, like she knew that red was red and blue was blue. It was like a memory, like a skill. She knew it, she didn't know how she knew it, she just did. She also knew what would happen next. It was weird, she did realize it, but that was also why she wasn't afraid.

" Don't move…" Tamao whispered to Leafia. He became like a statue, and Tamao wasn't sure if he was even breathing. But since he seemed okay, she didn't worry.

Glacia was still gracefully lighting up the darkness. The now grey looking fog swirled, almost gently, around her as Tamao swinged her leg to the ground. She jumped down from Leafias back, and nodded to him. He knew not to move before she'd tell him to.

Umbreon had not moved either. His yellow eyes, drowning in Glacias light, were shift on Tamao. She herself couldn't read his expression, but she somehow just knew how he felt. He was fairly calm. How all this knowledge seemed to be in Tamao, as if they were memories of an incident that had already happened, she didn't know. It was like a huge Déjà-vu, only it was so accurate it couldn't be one.

This frightened Tamao slightly, but it also took away her fear. After all, she knew what was going to happen. She was sad though; she also knew that she wouldn't end this crazy incident for good tonight. And since this strange knowledge did not include when she'd do that, she was as insecure as anyone would be of their future. This fearlessness, knowing her future, only included the incidents in this cave, this darkness, this battle.

Tamao started walking towards Umbreon. With normal speed, not slowly, not too fast. Umbreon didn't move an inch. Soon, Tamao found herself standing right in front of him, looking deeply into his eyes. She could not see her reflection in them like she always had when young, after all, his eyes were light themselves. Even so, she felt connected to him. She could almost feel the bond that, even though old and fragile, still existed between them.

" Umbreon."

Tamao felt her hands become colder. She leaned closer to him, and started whispering the words she had known she would whisper as she flew across the room in Leafias back,

" I know we don't have enough time today…" she started, Coughs tried to take over her body, but she resisted them. She could see the mist around them darken one bit. Everything happened just as she knew it would; once again, it seemed that Umbreons powers were getting out of control.

" But don't worry. Just take care of yourself, just make sure you won't get hurt, and leave the rest for me. I'll…" Tamao felt like she wanted to cry, but she resisted that too. She had to be strong. Weeping would only make things worse. She would achieve nothing by tearing up now; she would probably only ruin everything. Everything.

Tamao took one step back, as she saw Umbreons eyes flicker.

" I'll save you for sure. So…" Tamao tried to finish, but that was when the darkness returned in an instant. All of a sudden, the only light Tamao could see were Umbreons dimming yellow eyes. She wasn't shocked, she knew it would happen, but she had hoped she would have managed to say her words faster.

As Tamao tried to get herself together, she saw a red spark run across her eyes. She was once again covered in those pain-inducing rays, yet she, once again, felt nothing at all. However, she could hear Leafia and Glacia breath quickly, and felt horrible inside. The others were in pain.

Suddenly, she felt a hand grab her shoulder. Even more red-and-black rays were surrounding the hand, and she felt the person holding her shoulder leaning to her slightly, obviously getting support from her. He was in pain. But he fought it well. As expected from Silver.

Silver spoke quickly.

" I know where the other two are. You know, Crystal and the other guy, whatever his name was."

Tamao spoke as quickly as he did. Their voices were both calm and collected, and both seemed to, despite Silver being in pain, be in control of the situation.

" How?" Tamao asked.

" I wasn't just running around you know. I searched for another exit from this area, and had my Weavile go look for them. They're not too far from here, and it seems that the light… uh, that pokemon of yours… made weakened this mist thing a little, as they almost woke up."

" Ah… So they're almost awake?"

" I think so. So it might be wise to finish the things here quickly, before the pain…" Silver shivered before he continued.

" …wakes them up."

" _How does he know I haven't told the two about this?"_ Tamao thought quickly. However, she knew this wasn't the right time to ask questions.

" I understand. Leave it to me", she said instead.

" Yeah, it's not like I can do it", Silver answered her, maybe a bit bitterly, and let go of her shoulder. His legs seemed to fail, and he fell to the ground. Tamao could not see it, but she could hear and feel it in the air.

" Could you hurry up, please?" Silver even managed to laugh as he spoke.

Tamao nodded, even though she knew Silver couldn't see her.

" Hang in there", she said, and turned around. Umbreons eyes were hardly visible, and they were the only things Tamao could see of him. However, she rusted that Leafia and Glacia, even though they were in pain, would see him.

Tamao took a deep breath, not letting any coughs out, and started shouting.

" Leafia, Glacia! Attack like I'd want to catch him!" she screamed.

Leafia and Glacia understood what she meant, even though it might sound confusing. After all, if one wanted to catch a pokemon, completely knocking it out was out of the question. Tamao had always taught her pokemon to control their powers so that they could use just enough, if she were to want to catch someone. Now that finally paid off, as she had never really wanted to catch anyone. Umbreon had been her starter, Glacia she had taken with her when she left home, Leafia she had obtained from another trainer, and Murkrow had just started to like to pull pranks at her.

Tamao could hear Leafia and Glacia roar, and suddenly, the air became freezing cold. However, the cold breeze that obviously came from Glacia wasn't the only power activating that moment. Tamao could hear Leafia making a familiar noise. The noise he made when he collected sunlight. Where he got light from now, Tamao didn't know. She knew, however, that trying to understand the power of a legendary pokemon was useless. All she needed to know that a Solar beam was being prepared.

In the next instant, a bright light revealed everything in the cave, once again. An Ice beam more powerful than any Tamao had seen before, excluding the one in the forest, shot towards the flickering yellow eyes near her. Following this shining, freezing beam, another beam, so bright Tamao could not give it any colour, appeared form behind her, just slightly (but surely) missing her. The Ice- and Solar beams flew right across the small area in the cave, hitting one target. Tamao wanted to turn her eyes away, feeling bad for what she did, but she knew she had no other choice. The target was, of course Umbreon.

Even as he was hit by these two magnificent powers, Umbreon didn't seem to be in pain. Tamao had known it would happen too. She just took down his powers that were greatly out of control, so they wouldn't hurt anyone against his will anymore. How this worked, or how she knew it was like this, well, it was all a part of the strange Déjà-vu.

Not too long after beginning, Leafia and Glacia stopped the attack. Umbreons eyes were dim, but he still looked at Tamao. He didn't seem afraid. He seemed to understand. Slowly, the dark mist in the cave started dissolving, and Tamao could see more and more clearly every second. It was now or never. She didn't "remember" saying this, but she knew it was something she had to… no… something she wanted to do.

" Umbreon. Don't be afraid", Tamao said, as gently as she could. It might have sounded fake, but she knew Umbreon would understand she was sincere. That she really meant it.

For a while, it seemed like Umbreons eyes became brighter. A sort of a happy feeling took over Tamao, and somehow, she felt that she had finally done the right thing. Umbreons eyes dimmed down, and Tamao wondered if he had smiled to her. He always used to when she was small.

Tamao closed her eyes, and smiled. Morty had once told her that if she smiled with her eyes closed, she could best hide the sadness she happened to be holding. So if Umbreon really had smiled for her, she could not let him see the sadness in her. The sadness that would not go away until this'd be all over. Once there would be a result they could all be content of… Once she actually would have managed to rescue Umbreon. After all, she had to succeed. She didn't know it, not like she had known the events of this cave. The things she knew before had all happened, and she was, once again, unknowing of her future. Just like everyone always is.

Tamao heard some noises from behind her. It seemed Silver was getting up – the pain had ended. Tamao opened her eyes, and found the mist completely gone. Only the regular darkness of Mt.Mortar surrounded them. And when compared to the darkness they had just been in, it was nothing. Tamao could never have believed that she'd ever think this darkness was like light. Right now, it was in her eyes.

Well, that only lasted until two bright lights ignited behind her. Tamao turned around. She quickly glanced at Silver who was standing behind her. He was a little dirty, but otherwise he seemed okay. Not even dazed. Then, she turned her eyes towards the lights.

Leafia and Glacia were shining a bright light. As Tamao watched, they quickly shrinked back into their true forms, as the evolved forms of Eevee, instead of two elegant beasts. Tamao felt relieved, however, she did realize she hadn't seen Leafia very well, so she wasn't really sure what his legendary form looked like. She couldn't help but to feel a little curious, even though she was painfully aware he'd see that too, eventually. This wasn't sure knowledge; she just knew it couldn't be helped.

After the two pokemon had returned to their original states, Leafia fell to the ground, but Glacia remained standing. She was shaking, but standing. Was she used to this already? Hopefully not.

Tamao passed Silver, and walked up to her pokemon. She whispered her words of thanks, and they both smiled. She then took up two Super potions from her bag. She knew they wouldn't help much, but they were something. After spraying them on her tow dear pokemon, who both seemed to greatly enjoy it, she withdrew them. They could rest in their pokeballs. She then checked the state of her Scared ash – it was safely in her bag, and hadn't leaked.

As Tamao got up, Silver walked up to her.

" That… trick… you did with your pokemon… what was it?" he asked unsurely. He seemed to be impressed.

" I don't really know myself. I was told that if I do this in a danger, something would happen. I've only done it once before, so I don't really know how it works", Tamao sighed. Silver had seen so much outright lying to him was out of the question.

" Where did you get that thing… whatever it is?"

" You won't believe me if I tell you."

" I will after this!" Silver sounded very genuinely interested, like a little kid.

Tamao sighed. She smiled a little.

" _Well, I guess. Why not?"_ she thought to herself, and said:

" Well, it's an item called Sacred ash."

Silver turned pale, paler than he already was.

" You- you don't mean?" he stuttered with his words, and Tamao kept her expression unchanged.

Silver stared at Tamao for a while, and then laughed a little.

" Cool…" he muttered, but then acted like he would have completely forgotten what he just heard. He looked away from Tamao, and then turned back.

" We should head to those others though." He said, completely normally.

" They're awake?" Tamao asked, a little worried.

" How'd I know? Weavile hasn't come back yet, so I haven't had the chance to ask her", Silver seemed to be mocking her, but Tamao didn't mind. She was so exhausted; she didn't have the energy to start arguing with this guy. She just followed him as he started walking in the cave.

" You're going to fight Crystal now?" Tamao asked, She just didn't feel like being quiet.

" Nah. I'm not in the mood anymore, not after my life was in danger though I'm going to keep an eye on her, so I won't need to search again."

" Oh. Good." Tamao answered his bored tone.

" What do you mean? It isn't really your concern…" Silver sounded surprised.

" True. But I just want to get out and sleep, as soon as possible, and I don't care what time it is. I'm tired. I don't have the energy to watch you two fight, who knows how long it'd take." Tamao didn't bother to hide the whiny tone in her voice.

" Oh. I know what you mean." Silver sounded oddly calm,

" No you don't! You had it worse. I wasn't in pain, you know", Tamao almost gasped her words out.

Silver looked at her, with a wondering expression on his face.

" I thought it was a bit fishy how well you hid the pain. You seriously weren't in pain?"

" Not at all."

" Like, you felt absolutely nothing?"

" Nothing."

Silver sighed, and then laughed his evil laugh.

" I guess this really is more your than my business", he said, but something in his tone made Tamao think he still didn't mind getting involved in this. Even so, she didn't care. For now, he hadn't been in the way, so it didn't really matter what he did.

Silver seemed to sense his thoughts too, since he stayed quiet, with a content look on his face. He asked if he could carry Tamao's bag. For a while, Tamao suspected that he wanted to steal her sacred ash, but gave the bag to him anyway, after removing the important item from the bag. Silver laughed at her action, but didn't seem insulted.

The two walked in the darkness that felt like light to them, until a Weavile suddenly ran up to them. The pokemon jumped up, and Silver reached his hand, so that they Weavile managed to capture it, and climb to his shoulder. The pokemon seemed to whisper to his ear, and he nodded once, and then withdrew the pokemon. Tamao had seen many Weaviles in Sinnoh, so she wasn't very surprised. She could also see that this one was clearly a female (and not only because Silver had spoken of her a she).

Silver turned to Tamao, and spoke.

" Crystal and that guy are straight ahead. They're awake, with no clue of what happened, and they are looking for you. They think I kidnapped you or something."

Tamao nodded and answered.

" Good."

" Here's you bag", Silver said calmly, and gave the bag back. As Tamao took it, she realized something.

" You're leaving?" she asked. She wasn't sure why she felt a little disappointed by it, but she certainly didn't want to show it, so she kept her voice blank.

" Yeah. I don't feel like yelling at Crystal now", Silver muttered, and then looked Tamao into her eyes. He seemed ot be able to read through her blank voice.

" If you've grown that fond of me, you could come with me." Tamao was a bit bothered by this joking, but she kept her cool.

" No", she said simply.

" Too bad. I guess I'll have to come and find you next time I see black mist around. You seem quite useful in these situations", Silver just said simply.

" You do that."

" Excellent, the attitude returns!" Silver laughed, and then turned around. Tamao watched as he walked I not the darkness. Just before he disappeared, he raised his hand and waved a little. Without looking back, though. Tamao waved her hand, even though she knew he couldn't see it. She just felt it'd be rude not to.

Tamao then turned around herself, and continued to walk in the dark. Not even a minute went by before she heard Crystal yelling at Eusine. The two were apparently fighting again. Soon enough, Tamao saw them too. Eusines Electrode was out of his pokeball, and was using flash. A bright light dwelled around Eusine and Crystal, and once Tamao entered it too, the two instantly saw her.

The two seemed to be very worried, and kept asking her where she had been. She simply told them she had gotten lost. When Crystal asked her about Silver, she just said that he had disappeared after a while. Eusine seemed horrified that Silver had left a poor girl alone in the cave, and Crystal snorted at him. Everything seemed normal. As it had been before the storm, that is.

The three decided to head to the opposite end of the cave, now that they were there. As they started walking, Tamao felt horribly confused.

Why had she known what would happen beforehand in that fight? Why hadn't Silver fainted?

Those were the most important questions she had, but she couldn't find any answer to them. She was so frustrated she just decided to stop thinking about them for now. But as other questions, like about the strange dream and pokemon she had seen a while ago, she became so confused she started randomly digging her bag to get something to distract her thoughts.

As she looked through all the items, she noticed that her sisters had packed her old Pokegear too. She felt nostalgic, and took the item up. She looked through the map and radio parts. IT seemed that the station she had always been listening to had been cancelled, since there was a deep silence there. Tamao felt a little disappointed, and started looking through her saved phone numbers.

They were as they always had been. The numbers of her sisters, the number of Morty, the number of a boy who went to school nearby, the number of Dana, Tamao's cousin, and…

"_What? There shouldn't be anything more here!"_ Tamao thought, surprised, as she noticed there was still one number on the list.

The number itself looked unknown to Tamao, making her even more confused. Also, it seemed that the number had been added today. But how was that possible? Tamao suspected that there was a glitch in the old gear, but that was when she looked at the name above the number.

Silver.


	14. Alternative

**Chapter 13: Alternative**

As for the rest of the day, it went by peacefully, with nothing unusual happening. Tamao didn't see any legendary pokemon, Umbreon didn't make a second appearance, and Eusine and Crystal were fighting as always, even while they were exiting Mt. Mortar. Tamao didn't tell them about Silvers phone number. She didn't know how they'd react, and did not wish to find out at all.

She didn't wonder why Silver had left his phone number. He probably just wanted to call her or something. Why he did it in such a strange way, well, it just seemed to be just like him. Not that Tamao knew, she had only known him for a few hours, though a lot of that had been used in a life threatening danger. Even so, she didn't worry about it.

The day went by, and it wasn't very interesting. Upon arriving to Mahogany town, the three headed to the Lake of Rage. There had been rumours of a strange pokemon there, after all. They spent the day there, putting up traps. However, no strange pokemon appeared. When it started to get dark, Crystal decided it was time for them to return to the town. Eusine didn't go quietly, but eventually he gave up. He was probably tired too.

An old lady kept a shop in Mahogany town. She had a huge basement, and agreed to let the three sleep there for the night. Upon thanking her several times, Crystal lead Tamao and Eusine down the stairs. The basement was indeed amazing, almost like a hideout. Crystal walked there with confident steps, leading both Eusine and Tamao to small rooms, before heading for a third one. Tamao couldn't help but to wonder how she knew the place so well. Had she been there before?

There were no beds in the room. Instead, there were little computers. They were horribly outdates though, and looked like no-one would have used them for years. Which probably was the case.

Tamao put her bag to the floor and sat down by it. She was happy she had been left alone – it had been pretty hard for her to be social for the whole day. After all, she hadn't really had time to clear anything up in her head.

For a while, Tamao just sat there, letting all kinds of thoughts fly through her head. However, her body and mind both felt numb; it was like nothing could move her now. What was this feeling? It was almost like she was frozen before a horrible destiny, like she was expecting the final blow in a battle…

Tamao felt her throat become dry. She tried to swallow, but her mouth was dry too. She didn't want to cough; she had coughed enough for one day, when she was in the cave. Instead, she made a big yawn. It was probably past midnight, so she should sleep.

The girl put her head on her bag, ignoring the hard items pressuring her head, and stared at the roof. It was white, too white. Like the roof of a laboratory. Tamao yawned again, and closed her eyes. She wasn't tired anymore, now that she finally could sleep. Why did it always end up like that?

Tamao tried to shut everything out of her mind, and fall asleep. Nothing happened. She felt the items on her head, the floor under her hands and feet. She didn't fall into any kind of dreams.

She sighed harshly, and opened her eyes. However, she didn't see the white roof. She was a green glow dwelling around above her.

Her hand hit the ground harshly, as she sat up sharply. Her heart was pounding fast, faster than it had for ages. She looked around. The whole room was dwelling in the same green glow; she could hardly make out anything of the room from under it. The gentle, green light was simply flooding around the room. However, the light did not touch her; it was like she was inside a bubble, keeping her away from that glow.

" _Am I dreaming…?"_ Tamao thought as she looked around. She was calm, but her heart was all but. The violent beating was starting to spread anxiety to her mind.

Before she even managed to finish her thoughts, a silent, friendly voice echoed in her ears.

" Yes, this is a dream. However, it is not one you'd see without our, um… help." The voice giggled in a gentle way. Even so, this gentle voice didn't make Tamao let her guard down. There was something in it that made goosebumps appear to her hand.

Tamao knew she should ask who the person talking was, but there was something else that had caught her attention.

" Our?" she asked, silently. Even though this seemed to be a dream, she still felt like Eusine and Crystal might hear.

" Oh? Don't worry. We do not mean to harm you. You aren't surrounded. There are only two of us", the voice answered calmly. The green glow shone brighter, but still gently enough not to hurt Tamao's eyes.

" Well then. I'm sorry if I sound rude, but could the two of you show yourselves? This is pretty intimidating, you know", Tamao said angrily, and tried to cover her eyes. Even though the light didn't hurt, it bothered her. The whole situation bothered her – why wouldn't these two, whoever they were, just let her sleep? The last thing she needed was more trouble, and this certainly was troubling!

" Oh, pardon me. We didn't want to do any sudden movements, but it seems you are already ready to hear our words. I should have guessed. You have gone through a lot in a short time, after all."

The green light started pounding, slower than Tamao's heart. In a harmony. The effect was calming, but it wouldn't reach Tamao's mind. She still felt uneasy.

A green whirlpool started spinning ahead of Tamao's eyes, in the air. She watched calmly as the circle turned into a small, fairy-like being. Tamao knew what it was –s she had never thought she'd actually see it, but she knew. However, she didn't feel as impressed as she probably should have been.

Celebi had appeared to Tamao. Tamao had thought this most likely was doing of a legendary pokemon, so she didn't feel surprised.

The small legend raised its big head, and looked Tamao into the eyes. Then, it turned its face to its side. Another green whirlpool, significantly bigger though, had appeared. Tamao watched silently as it slowly formed a big, dragon-like pokemon. Mostly white, with a little blue too. Tamao knew this being too.

Lugia. As she viewed the being from the legends she had heard of since a kid, she realized that it wasn't her first time seeing this magnificent pokemon. She wondered why she hadn't recognized it before, when she had found it flying away from her house. Obviously, the pokemon behind her window had been Lugia. How come she had not realized it?

Tamao watched he two legendaries, especially Lugia. Once her eyes met the big eyes of this being, yet another deep, magnificent voice filled her head, echoing in her mind.

" I see you have recognized me", the astonishing voice of Lugia said calmly.

" Yes." There wasn't much Tamao could say.

" I understand that you may be questioning your own skills right now. I assure you; the fact that my identity was hidden for you up till now has nothing to do with your abilities. It is just that I wished that you wouldn't know. We wanted to avoid any kind of conflict, including Hp-oh and his beasts."

Tamao blinked, and suddenly felt both insulted and threatened.

" You've been messing with my mind?" she asked, perhaps a bit too moodily.

" That is a rather ugly way to put it. But it is true; we have indeed guided your thoughts into our direction. This is not the first time we contact you. Your dreams were spent with us last night too." Lugias voice was deep and sorrowful, but sort of cold. It lacked some much emotion it scared Tamao slightly.

Tamao gulped.

" Last night… what did you do to me last night?!" she was starting to get really uneasy.

" Fear not. We merely showed you your near future."

" My near futu-?" Tamao started, but suddenly gasped.

The reason for her fearlessness in Mt. Mortar had just been revealed. Tamao felt her heart pound like crazy, and every breath she took was a sharp one. She had known there was something wrong with that; people didn't just know the future. She had known what would happen, she had felt secure, because she had seen what would happen in the dream she couldn't remember. Like flashbacks, that dream had reminded her of it's existence, and granted her a fearless state.

Tamao felt her heart gripping in her chest, as if it would fear that it might be ripped out any minute. It was like her heart would have stopped to think for a moment. If these legendary pokemon could show her this future, did it mean it was her destiny? But Morty always said destiny was only a guidance, which people followed quite freely. How did they know exactly what would happen?

" How'd you…? Why did you…?" Tamao muttered quietly, not understanding enough to even ask.

" Please, fear not." This time, the gentle voice of Celebi spoke.

" We do not wish to hurt you, nor do we want to confuse you. Back in that dark cave, it was important for you not to fear. Your fear might have changed everything; it might have turned everything to a course we don't want it to turn to. That is why we showed you what would happen; so you wouldn't have a reason not fear", Celebi continued softly, looking at Tamao with its large eyes.

" Destiny… A course you don't want it to turn to?" Tamao asked, baffled, but calmer than a while ago. She had to calm down; she had to listen now.

It was Lugia who answered.

" Destiny is very fragile right now. For long now, the hold destiny has on our world had been loosening. Before, changing destiny was next to impossible. However, recently, destiny has changed its course several times. Even the smallest thoughts can completely change the world's future."

Celebi continued again, with eyes full of sadness;

" I have the ability to travel in time. However, I can only go to the future that the current destiny leads to. The future we saw before us recently was not something we wish to let come true. That is why we had to contact you earlier than we were originally going to. Only erasing your fear could save us, for now."

" Contact me? So you were going to contact me anyway? What do you want from me anyway?" Tamao whispered, gripping her teeth together.

Celebi's eyes were still sad.

" You do not trust us. Well, I can understand how you feel. But we really just want your best. Our goal is the one most favourable for you too, believe me. If you continue the way you have for now, you will have a sad ending ahead of you. If you continue to fulfil the prophesy Ho-oh wants to create, then you will certainly be doomed to a pain more sinister than the one you feel now."

Tamao's eyes widened. She felt like time would have completely stopped, as she listened to Celebis words. She stared into thin air, and felt her hands go cold. She could almost see how all colour escaped from her body, along with all the warmth she had just felt.

" W-what?" she asked too stunned to even talk well.

" You heard what she said. You might have thought that Ho-oh only tried to help you, but that is not the case. He only works for his selfish goals and wishes. His beats, those three, only do what he tells them to do, so they aren't any better. Your life doesn't mean anything to any of them; you're just a tool for gaining the future they want", the cold voice of Lugia spoke, ignoring Tamao's astonished stare.

" But… That can't… be…" Tamao stumbled with her words. Her thoughts would not flow. Her mind was still like a mountain in a storm.

What was going on? Why did Lugia and Celebi contact her? And what they said… Ho-oh and selfish goals… What was that all about? Tamao couldn't make anything out of it.

Celebi floated gently in the air, with the small wings moving at a speed so high Tamao couldn't even see them well. Her eyes were almost teary as she gazed at Tamao sitting on the floor. While Tamao didn't utter any word, she started talking with the gentle voice again.

" I'm sorry about telling this to you like this. I understand that it is painful; you trusted them, didn't you? They came to you at the time you were most lost, they guided you to a long road with their amazing powers and light. It must be hard for you to comprehend that road is only taking you to your doom…"

" Stop it", Tamao interrupted suddenly. Her tone was a mess; it sounded angry, stunned, sad and even calm at the same time.

Celebi became silent, and looked at her in surprise. Tamao gripped her hands together, and stared at the two legendary pokemon ahead of her. Her eyes were full of emotions she tried so hard to hide, but it was useless. It seemed like everything, every feeling she felt, every word that was born in her heart, desperately wanted to come out. While she tried to hide it, she wanted to tell it to the whole world.

" Just stop it. You tell me I've been tricked, that I've been misguided. You're basically saying that I'm being deceived by Ho-oh, that I shouldn't trust him. However, you yourself don't seem any trustworthier to me now. What do you even want from me? I doubt you want my good any more than he does. And I'm fine with that, you know. I currently don't care about myself; my priority is to rescue Umbreon. So as long as I've got the means to do so…" Tamao spoke quickly, so that the emotions in her speech would remain unnoticed by the two bizarre beings ahead of her.

However, it seemed that the two noticed, since it was Lugia's turn to interrupt her.

" Those means you speak of… what good are they to you? Either you have to choose to let your dear friend die, or then you have to make him forget all and everything, and give him a new beginning. It seems that you're aiming for the latter. However, do you understand what you're doing?" the deep voice spoke calmly, but sternly. Like a grandfather to a granddaughter trying to run away from her parents,

Tamao gulped, and tried to keep the moodiness she had awakened a while ago.

" What's that supposed to mean? Of course I understand! I understand that if Umbreon survives, I'll never be able to see him again. But that doesn't matter. If he can live on happily, so can I- " she nearly hissed, but stopped intact when Celebi looked down, and blinked her eyes sadly. The small fairy-like pokemon turned her eyes to Lugia. Tamao stared, and couldn't do anything when the giant pokemon started talking with that deep voice again.

" Live on, you say. But let me ask you this; what is life without memories? What makes you what you are, if they aren't you memories? The words you say are caused by pain. That pain is caused by your memories, isn't it? If you were to forget this all… what kind of words would you say? Or… would it even be _you_ who'd say those words?" Lugia's eyes were serious as it said these words aloud.

Tamao felt her hands go numb, and released her grip. Her heart had stopped pounding like crazy. It was now beating slowly, so slowly it felt like there was an eternity between every heartbeat. Tamao felt her mind getting dizzier and dizzier all of the time. And this was not caused by Lugias and Celebis powers. It was caused by their words, Tamao's thoughts.

" Do you see now? If you erase his memories, it's the same as letting your friend die. A new being, similar to what he was, yet different, will live on. You friend will be worse than dead; he will be lost forever with his memories."

Tamao stared quietly, and met Celebi's eyes. Her heartbeat was slow, but she felt like something was struggling in her chest. Was it her heart, or was it simply the pain she held inside her? Tamao didn't know. But right now, she was losing the battle to it.

" But… The memories are… all painful ones… he'd be better off not - " Tamao stumbled, as she spoke quietly. She felt like she was being cornered by these to mighty beings.

" You're wrong", Celebi spoke again with her soothing voice.

" I believe you understand Lugia's words, you just don't want to believe in them. I understand; you don't want to lose hope. You have not had hope for a long time, but you've finally had at least a small branch of hope to grab on. And here we are, trying to break that branch. But please, fear not; when that branch breaks, you will not fall. We will not let you. Right now it might not seem like it, but we do care about you", she spoke sadly, as her huge eyes were shining the green light surrounding them. Tamao stared at her, unable to say or think anything.

" You want what's best for him, don't you? What you're doing now is not what's best for him. And it's the worst option for you too; if you continue this way, you'll meet your doom sooner than you can even imagine. But, child, I tell you this; the road you're taking isn't just divided in two. The two options Ho-oh gave you are not the only ones", Celebi's voice was determined and sure. For a while, Tamao felt like she should just go ahead and believe everything told to her. However, something made her remain silent.

Celebi flew a little closer to her.

" Don't worry. We don't want to confuse you by making you do anything now. All that you need to now is listen to what we tell you… Since once you know the truth, you'll understand that you really should come with us… And not help Ho-oh destroy your precious friend and you", she said calmly. Tamao didn't answer, she didn't say anything.

Lugia looked straight at Tamao, with a stern but wise face. As Tamao looked at it, she remembered the story Ho-oh had told her in the Tin Tower. Lugia and Ho-oh had been friends, the only legendary pokemon who had decided to search for happiness with humans. Then why did Lugia now call him selfish, and say he wanted to destroy Tamao? Why was he on the different side, calling his friend evil? What exactly was going on?

Lugia turned its eyes up, and the deep voice once again filled Tamao's head.

" In the beginning, when life was born, the world was different. It was big and empty, with so little options, yet it was huge enough to drown all the life in it. The souls of that time were all lost, wandering spirits. So, a gentle force was born, guiding them to a road they could take. So that they all had a future. Along time, this gentle force was given the name destiny. Nobody knows where this force was born from, or why it wanted so deeply to assure a future to these souls, but it happened. And because of that, the souls could keep on living. They learned to feel feeling other than despair and fear, and learned to give birth to new souls. All life would calmly follow the road destiny had made for them, and live in the wide world without getting lost. And so, the roads destiny had made brought them forward, even to this day.

When a soul is born, destiny gives that soul a unique road, a future only they can have. We are all free to follow that road however we want, even leave it for a while, but in the end, we all come to the end of that one road. Before, it was impossible for that road to change. However, once, it happened. A soul came to the end of a different road than destiny had originally meant. Then it happened again. It became a rare event that no-one could see. No-one but us what they call 'legendary pokemon', and the humans who are called seers.

Because destiny only wants what is best for us, we legendary pokemon understood that the change of ones destiny as a bad omen. Of it isn't changed back, the road they will end will be more painful than the one they started. However, since changing destiny was hard, changing it back was next to impossible. Only a few times did we manage to fix these terrible accidents. The souls who we couldn't rescue… They live don with a destiny much more sinister than they deserved.

At first we thought that a change of ones destiny was always caused by themselves. The souls would leave the road they were given for a time too long, and not find back anymore. However, as time passed, we learned that we had been wrong. Sometimes, souls who were faithfully following their roads, would all of a sudden be pushed away from them by a force unseen by us."

Tamao flinched as she heard what Lugia said last. The image of Crystal's bothered face came to her mind, and she shivered slightly. This was what Morty had talked about; someone's destiny changed, even though they did everything right. Crystal had been the victim of this unseen force. But why did it happen? Tamao couldn't make herself ask. She feared the answer might shock her so much she could bare it.

Lugia continued. It had been silent as Tamao thought. Was it still playing games with her mind?

" This became a huge source of worry for us legendary pokemon. Well… most of us. Back then, Ho-oh and myself were young for legendary pokemon. We couldn't quite comprehend destiny, or the severity of its changes. We just wanted to happily live our lives; no matter what roads we were taking. We wanted to escape all the worry and sorrow along with us with power, so we decided to go to humans to find our happiness. It was just like it had meant to happen.

However, something went differently than it was supposed to. It was a small thing, but since it affected us, two legendary pokemon, it started a chain of more severe events. It happened on a day three new legendary pokemon were destined to be born. Ho-oh and I were waiting for a sign that they would finally be born. However, nothing happened. We understood that something had changed their destiny; these tree legendary pokemon would not be born. Of course, this caused chaos between all of us legendary pokemon. It opened the eyes of us two; finally we saw, we understood the terribly truth we had escaped from. I felt shocked, but Ho-oh was so terrified he didn't even seem to be able to think well.

Then, the fire of the tower took place. And when Ho-oh found the three pokemon in the fire, and decided to rescue them, a dangerous idea came to his mind. He decided to correct destiny. So, not only did he rescue them, but he turned those three pokemon into the three legendary beats, three new legendary pokemon. And so, destiny had been fulfilled; three new legendary pokemon had been born that day. Everything was all right. I too saw it that way. But what followed was so terrible it was even beyond our understanding.

Certainly, Ho-oh had made it so that the legendary pokemon had been born. However, he had changed the destiny of the three pokemon he saved. And because their destiny had change din such a severe way, it started a chain of events. It slightly changed the destiny of those who were supposed to meet the three pokemon, but didn't. They changed the destiny of those who were supposed to see them together. All just slightly, but the changes were still occurring. We all saw those tiny changed, but a very few of us worried about them. A bigger disaster had been avoided, after all.

However, as time went by, those small changes started becoming a problem. Because so many small changes had occurred, the result was that some people got a destiny entirely different from the one meant for them. All we could do was watch with horror, as the small fix turned into several people completely losing their way before even starting to walk them.

Ho-oh felt guilty about this. After all, it was all caused by his attempt of fixing destiny. His method had been wrong, and now everything was becoming more and more twisted. Even though no-one blamed him, it was all becoming so severe it was unbearable for Ho-oh. I tried to talk to him, to calm him down, but he wouldn't. It was then he came up with his dangerous idea; he decided to fix his mistakes. Once again, he wanted to attempt fixing destiny.

Some of us legendary pokemon side him. Several believe that since he could turn it all to this, he can also fix it. However, Celebi, a few others and myself only believe it will turn things for the worse. In fact, Celebi knows it for sure. The more Ho-oh does, the darker the future she travels to becomes. However, we could not stop Ho-oh from trying to fix the destinies of those who had got them wrong.

And so… Five years ago, all we had feared broke loose. Ho-oh decided to fix the destiny of a pokemon who had been destined to be born with powers greater than her species possessed. However, she had lost those powers in the change of destiny before even gaining them. Ho-oh changed it; he gave her those powers. And this was the beginning of a horrible chain of events.

Not only did this greatly affect the pokemon given those powers, it even continued to others too. A human boy was affected by this change, on the time he once met this pokemon. Even though the change in him was slight, it too passed on as he lived. On. And then, the worst we could imagine happened; he met someone who had a mighty destiny. The small change in him turned into a void that swallowed the destiny glimmering ahead of this person, giving her an empty destiny. She was free to take whatever road she wanted to again, since her road was lost forever. She became what we all were in the beginning; a soul lost in the wide world."

Tamao wanted to stop listening. She knew exactly whom Lugia was talking about. What she heard now was what Morty could not have told her; she heard the reason Crystal's destiny had changed. And the reason, it was because of some small change. A small change resulted from an attempt to fix the world Tamao had not known was wrong. Because of one careless action years ago, that was fixed in a stupid way, Crystal was now going through the misery that could sometimes be seen from her eyes.

Tamao could feel her anger rising, but then she suddenly clamed herself down. How could she know this all was true? Ho-oh had given her a completely different story. Even though this one made sense, how could she know these two legendary pokemon were not lying to her? They had appeared out of nowhere, played games with her mind, and now this… But it did sound so real…

Tamao felt her mind become messier. She couldn't help but to listen to Lugia, as it started speaking once again.

" This girl was supposed to become the legend of her time. Now, she had gotten lost. We were all afraid of what would happen next; since her destiny had disappeared, surely it would have some awful results in the world. However, Ho-oh was certain he could fix this too. He decided to search for a girl who could take her place; a girl who could become the legend instead. He said he wouldn't repeat his mistakes anymore, and most of us trusted him. Celebi and I, we had our doubts. And, I'm sad to say, we were right.

After Ho-oh made the changes to her destiny, it turned out that this was the worst thing he had done yet. While the girl herself did not cause any drastic changes to anyone else, Ho-oh's way of working did. He tried to create a new legendary pokemon. A new legendary pokemon that would guide the girl to the road Ho-oh had decided to pass on to her. However, the pokemon gained a horrific life and destiny, and caused a lot of pain and sadness to appear to the roads of others around him. In one moment, that pokemon changed the destinies of others by simply existing. The girl herself… she too gained a faith so sad it'd bring many people to tears.

And now, Ho-oh has decided to fix this all. He has decided to fix the problem with the girl, the pokemon, and everything that has gone wrong in this world. Still, many of us help him, but several of us also see that his actions are wrong. Celebi, others and I understand. By now, the times Ho-oh has tried to fix something have only made things worse. The first time was a mistake made by a young spirit. It is understandable, and it can't be changed. However, he must open his eyes soon. He must stop fixing things. Even though his actions cannot cause a major damage to destiny, it still makes the future of several individuals darker. He should accept his mistakes, embrace them, and live on. Everything isn't that bad of, after all, and it can still change for the better. But as long as he keeps on trying to fix everything, it will become worse", Lugia finished his story.

A silence took over the room that was dwelling in the green shine. Celebi looked sad, and Lugia seemed to be frustrated. Tamao… she didn't know. All she could do was stare. She could not even think well. However, she still just managed to talk. One thing she had heard in the story was something she could understand, yet hoped would no be true.

" That girl… supposed to become a legend… the legendary pokemon… Umbreon and me?" she mumbled softly, in a silent, silent voice. She knew the pokemon would hear. They probably even heard her thoughts, the big mess in her heart.

" Yes. Your destiny was something Ho-oh thought was safe to change. However, it turned out that your future was not as insignificant as he had thought; it affected your friend a lot more greatly than he ever imagined."

" Umbreon… Was supposed to become someone… very important, then?" Tamao wasn't sure what to think. She didn't even quite comprehend what she was saying.

" He had a future ahead of him, one a lot different from this one. Both of you have already felt a lot more pain than you were ever supposed to", this time, it was the gentle voice of Celebi that answered after being silent so long.

Tamao felt sick, depressed, confused and most of all lost. Who was she to trust? Ho-oh, or these two? What would be the best for Umbreon? What was she to do?

Tamao looked down. Her eyes were struggling; they wanted to get filled with tears. She was against it. There was no way she was going to start crying now. Not in front of these two!

" Why do you tell me this? What do _you_ want from me?" Tamao asked, as she stared at the floor that reflected the green light around her.

" We just want you to survive. Your destiny has changed enough already. If you keep on following Ho-oh's instructions, it'll change even more. It'll become even more painful, for both you and your friend. Ho-oh's plan to correct anything… For you, it means a certain death", the ever so deep voice said ever so coolly.

Tamao's heart was beating so slowly, she felt like it was about to stop.

" Ho-oh isn't evil. He just wants to fix everything. However, if his plans come true, some individuals will suffer. We want to avoid any suffering, including yours. We do not want to correct thing by sacrificing innocent people. We have come to you, because your death would be in vain; even if you were to do what Ho-oh wants, and die in the end, nothing would become better. It'd just cause more suffering, and the world around you would become darker", Celebi spoke calmly.

Tamao felt annoyed.

" What -?! So now you want me to save the world from a horrendous future, then?!" she hissed, but kept her eyes down.

" No…" Celebi started, but Lugia interrupted her.

" The world is not in danger because of this. It might eventually be, but you have no effect in that. The world we speak about does not mean the one we walk upon. The world is seen differently by each individual, and whether it is light or dark depends on how numerous people see it. If Ho-oh keeps on doing this, you and several people around you will start seeing it in a very sad way. It will become dark in their eyes… And thus dark in our eyes."

"All we ask you to save is yourself, your friend, and those who you care about… who care about you." Celebi's voice echoed in Tamao's mind, so gently it seemed almost false.

Tamao felt like whining, like moaning and screaming. This was too much. Just too much. Just a while ago, she had been bravely walking the road that would end in her rescuing Umbreon. And now she was being deceived? Now she suddenly had to start believing in others, and not believe in the only thing she had thought wouldn't lie to her?

What if these two were lying? What if they wanted something selfish from her? What would legendary pokemon want from her?

Crystal… Had she been chosen to replace Crystal? Why hadn't Ho-oh given the destiny back to Crystal? Why, what, who, what if…?

With her head spinning like crazy, Tamao couldn't even find the green light soothing anymore. What could she do? What would she say?

Suddenly, she felt a gentle touch on her shoulder. She raised her head, and saw Celebi in front of her. She had placed her small hand on Tamao's shoulder.

" I understand this is all shocking. We do not want you to answer now that you are still confusing. Think after for a while, search your heart. We will appear again, once it is time for you to answer", she said, and looked Tamao into the eyes. She was glowing in a soothing light, but Tamao didn't feel calm.

As Celebi flew further away from her, the room started getting dimmer.

" Wait! I still-!" Tamao shouted, and reached her hand towards the two pokemon slowly dissolving with the light.

Suddenly, she lost her balance. Even though she was still sitting, her body suddenly started falling down as if was forced by a harsh pressure.

" Unnnngh!" she moaned, as she started falling towards the floor, where she could see the green light disappearing.

Tamao fell, and it felt like an eternity had passed before she finally hit the floor. She closed her eyes in pain, and made a small, squeaking whine. When she opened her eyes, the green light was gone. The room was perfectly normal, just like it had been before the two legendary pokemon had appeared.

Tamao put her hands to the ground, and pushed herself up. She looked around, and realized that her body was aching all over. Her bag had been kicked a bit further away from her, and some of her items were scattered on the ground. A restless dreamer had raged in the room.

" _Oh… That's right… It was a dream…"_ Tamao thought sadly. However, she didn't question the reality of what had happened. She knew it had not been a regular dream; it had indeed been caused by Celebi and Lugia.

Tiredly, Tamao started picking up her items. Once she took up her old PokeGear, she saw that it was 4.32, early in the morning. For some reason, Tamao froze up, and stared at the gear for a while, without thinking or saying anything. It was like time would have stopped.

When the 4.32 turned into 4.33, Tamao uttered a long and depressed sigh. She buried her face to her knees, and sighed again.

" Why does it have to be this complicated?" she whined aloud.

For a while, Tamao just stared into the darkness, with her eyes closed. In her head, endless thoughts and fears were running around. She had a major problem, and she couldn't escape it.

" _We will appear again, once you have you answer",_ Celebi had said… But when would that be? Right now it felt like Tamao would never be able to decide. How could she? She had no idea who to trust or what to do. This was just utterly ridiculous.

As Tamao was lost in her dark thoughts, her PokeGear suddenly uttered a loud beep. Tamao flinched, and turned to look at the device, with a stunned look.

The phone was ringing. At first, Tamao was angry at her sisters for calling her that early in the morning, but that was when she noticed who was calling. Silver.

Tamao didn't hesitate for a moment. She wasn't even annoyed anymore; somehow, it seemed just like Silver to call early in the morning. Tamao took a deep breath before pushing the small button and brining the device to her ear, though.

" Hello?" Tamao answered unsurely. It had been a long while since she had used the gear, after all.


	15. Snowfall

**Chapter 14: Snowfall**

" Oh, you actually answered? Man, you wake up early!" Silver's voice sounded so careless it made Tamao flinch.

" Wh-what's that supposed to mean? Since you're calling me now, it's rather obvious which one of us wakes up earlier", she answered faintly.

Tamao heard Silver chuckle. He seemed awfully cheerful for a 'bad guy'.

" Did I wake you up?" he asked with an amused tone.

" No… You were a few minutes too late", Tamao muttered truthfully.

" So you really do wake up early!"

" Not really, no. This was really just a coincidence."

" Oh? You had a nightmare, then?" Silver sounded almost accusing.

Tamao was silent for a while. A part of her tried to think after the events that had occurred in her dreams, but she rejected the idea with her full heart. She didn't want to remember. She didn't want to think about it. She just wanted to forget it… Even though she knew she shouldn't.

But she was talking to Silver right now, she couldn't just… Just for now, it was okay.

" I guess", Tamao finally answered. Very shortly.

" Hnnn?" Silver made a questioning sound, but didn't really say anything. He too stayed quiet for a while. Was he waiting for something?

" That bad?" he finally asked. His voice didn't sound sympathetic at all, though. Tamao sighed.

" That bad."

She gave up; there was no use in trying to hide anything from this fellow. Somehow, it felt like he'd see through her anyway. Even though they had pretty much just met. What a strange person…

" Well then. Then let me cheer you up", Silver's voice now sounded excited. Tamao felt suspicion wake up in her mind.

" And how exactly are you going to do that?" she asked unsurely, but kept her distrust clear in her tone.

" You'll see. You're staying in Mahogany, right? East, west or north?"

" Huh?"

" Which part of the town are you in? East, west or north?"

" Uh… East, I think…" Tamao started, but stopped then.

" Why?" she asked, with extreme suspicion in her voice.

" Excellent… Oh, why? Because we're going east", Silver's voice said casually, as if the two were childhood friends going on a picnic.

" And what makes you think I'm actually going to come with you?" Tamao snapped, not angrily, but still.

" Because I said it'll cheer you up, and you're down. Also, you probably realize that I didn't just call you because I felt like it. This was my plan from the beginning, you know", Silver answered instantly.

" That much I could guess. But I'm still not convinced."

" Oh? Will you come if I beg and plead?" now Silver sounded just ridiculous.

" As if you'd do that. You can't want me to come with you that badly", Tamao was getting really suspicious.

" What's this? We haven't known each other even for a day, and you already think you know me? Oh well. You're right, I wouldn't. However, I do want you to come with me. So badly, that if you won't come voluntarily, I'll come and drag you by force." Now Silver sounded just plain scary. Just like a real bad guy.

" Huh? You go ahead and try!" Tamao answered plainly. She wasn't really impressed by Silver's scary voice.

" You go ahead and try to stop me. I could easily defeat your little pokemon with one attack!" Silver continued in the same scary voice.

" Two attacks, mind you. However, you do realize that Crystal and Eusine are in the same building with me?"

Silver snorted, but didn't sound annoyed. This was all a part of some lame joke of his, Tamao was sure.

" Can this be settled peacefully?" Tamao asked and sighed.

" So you're coming?" Silver sounded delighted.

" I guess. I don't really want to have Eusine go all annoying, which he would definitely do if I'd let him save me", Tamao answered, and shivered at the thought.

" That guy really is annoying. How can you even consider travelling with him?" Silver chatted casually. Though he seemed to be expressing his true opinion regarding Eusine.

" I don't have a choice. That aside, what do you mean by that? You want me to travel with _you_ instead, then?" Tamao asked in a piercing tone.

Silver made a surprised snort, and didn't answer for a moment.

" Oh, be quiet. That wasn't even funny." His tone was annoyed, and Tamao smiled to herself. She had now reached her goal for the day.

" So, I guess now that you're angry with me, you don't want me to come…" she hinted, and to her surprise, Silver laughed.

" Ha! Nice try! You're coming with me."

" Okay, okay. Where are we going?" Tamao asked. She surprised herself though; she was going to give up this easily?

" Consider it a surprise." Silver sounded annoyingly cheerful again.

" I really hate surprises", Tamao sighed.

" I thought you might. Meet me in the start of Route 44 as soon as possible", Silver said simply, and ended the call. Tamao listened quietly to the silent beeping in the gear she left behind.

" I've really become weak…" Tamao muttered in an amused tone, as she put the PokeGear away. She didn't understand her own behaviour at all.

How come she couldn't predict her own actions at all? After such a shocking night, she should have just left of somewhere to think. But instead, she went to who knows where with some random boy she met yesterday? What was wrong with her? It seemed like she had become someone else inside… While she was mostly the same, her actions, what she wanted, was different.

Right now, she wanted to go with Silver, even though she was certain she would have just ignored him a while ago. She didn't want to think about last night, even though she knew it was critical. It was something that really needed to be thought about, she needed to make her decision. Her own life, Umbreon's life… They were both at stake. Yet she couldn't help but to feel disgusted whenever she thought about it. She wanted to forget it… Just for now, even though it was dangerous.

Tamao took up her bag, and walked out of the room. She didn't look back. She didn't want to see the room where that terrible dream had taken place. She ignored the guilty feeling that rose inside when she thought so, and closed her eyes, until she had turned around the corner. She couldn't see the room anymore, anyway.

Tamao walked extremely silently, and held her breath, as she passed the room where Eusine was sleeping. To her surprise, he was snoring quietly. That was something Tamao would never had expected Eusine to do. Tamao got curious, and quickly peeked into the room, while still holding her breath. Since she was absolutely sure it was impossible for Eusine to snore, she suspected that he might be pretending.

However, when Tamao saw Eusine, there was no question that he was indeed asleep. He was leaning his head into his hands, on his side. His cape was gone… It would probably have been in the way when sleeping. The usual "elegant" and self-loving expression was gone from his face. Instead, his face looked peaceful, and actually rather normal.

Not even Eusine would be able to pretend to sleep so well. He looked too normal, too… Un-Eusine-like to be pretending. If he were pretending, he'd look a lot more dramatic, probably with his mouth wide open, with his limbs pointing to every direction, and a loud fake snoring. Since he snored so quietly, it had to be genuine.

Tamao started to really need to breathe, so she quietly passed the room. Tamao didn't know why she had peeked in the first place, or why she had noted all those things. However, she didn't mind. Even if she wouldn't be bale to predict her actions, as long as she didn't do anything dramatic, everything was fine.

Therefore, Tamao didn't try to stop herself when she quietly peeked into Crystal's room. She told herself she just made sure no-one noticed that she left, so that she wouldn't need to explain herself when she came back.

Crystal was curled up in a ball as she slept, kind of like a Skitty. Her expression was bothered, and it seemed she was having restless dreams, as her breathing wasn't very calm. She was shivering slightly, and Tamao realized that her room was colder than the rest. Obviously, the girl would purposely take the coldest room. Even with her sad past, and future, she would still think about others before herself. Tamao felt slightly sorry for her, but she shook off that feeling. Then, she noticed something that caught her attention completely.

There was a white cape placed on Crystal. Tamao recognized it instantly; it was Eusine's. At first Tamao thought Crystal had probably asked for it, but then she realized Crystal would most likely rather break her leg than ask something from Eusine (because he'd get all annoying about it). So, there was only way for it to end up on her; Eusine had probably taken it to her when she had already fallen asleep.

As Tamao continued to walk, she started thinking. Maybe Eusine wasn't as annoying as she gave him credit for. He seemed to be (secretly) somewhat kind by nature.

" _Who would have thought…? About a legendary pokemon hunter…"_ Tamao thought, and smiled slightly to herself. Kindness really could be found in surprising people. Even those who were considered evil apparently couldn't help but to be kind every now and then. Eusine wasn't the only proof. Tamao had a feeling this was also the case with Silver. Why, she didn't really know how to explain. Even though he gave off the atmosphere of a "bad guy", and he had described himself to be a rival (most likely an evil one, since his rival had been Crystal), Tamao still didn't think he was cruel or evil. He had said some pretty kind things to her in Mt. Mortar.

" I need to stop thinking…" Tamao decided after a while. Thoughts like this were only a burden. She couldn't let them reach her. Not now… Maybe not ever. Who knew?

Tamao easily sneaked outside. Escaping the building wasn't that hard; obviously, it was originally built for the ninja, so it was crucial that moving around quietly would be easy. So, even though that wasn't so a young girl could sneak out unnoticed, it was maybe even a bit too easy for Tamao. For a while, she had to question her luck.

The air was rather cold outside. Piercingly cold. Maybe it was because of the gym, or the ice path near by, but Tamao realized that she had once again forgotten her jacket the moment she went out.

" No turning back now…" she thought, and decided to be cold. She had slept outside before; cold was no problem, even with an ice-type gym in the area.

Even so, as she walked down the road, Tamao couldn't help but to wonder if it'd start snowing. She wasn't sure what to think about that. When she was little, her sister had always been overjoyed to see snow. She herself had always just been positively surprised about it. However, now that she had spent so much time in the north in Sinnoh, snow was no big deal at all. Even so, Tamao knew seeing snow might make her miss the place. It was funny, but Sinnoh had already become almost like a second home to her. It was such a peaceful, comforting place.

Tamao could see the beginning of Route 44 ahead. It wasn't that hard; it was like an invincible wall would have separated the route and the town. The small houses ended on the exact same spot, and trees started growing right by them. There was some water ahead, too. Tamao couldn't see it now, but she knew. She had been there several times when young.

The wind made a harsh blow, and Tamao (surprisingly) sneezed. She shivered, and looked around. It was really cold. How could it be this cold? It was like the late fall in Sinnoh, and it wasn't even winter! Johto's winters weren't that cold; so on a time like this, it was really weird… Sure, it snowed sometimes around Route 44, but this was still rather rare.

Even though she felt slightly weird about it, Tamao just kept on walking. She decided to ignore it for now; not everything unusual was connected to her and her current situation.

Just before Tamao managed to reach the end of the town, she spotted a familiar character ahead of her. Well, actually, she noticed his hair first, and then his full figure. But it was rather hard to miss that blazing red hair in the midst of the falling, white snow.

Silver spotted her too, before she managed to consider turning around and changing her mind. It could be that he had been staring at the road all of the time, waiting for her to arrive. However, Tamao couldn't be sure. She didn't know what to think of him. However, she didn't bother finding out. He was just one weird guy; she didn't need to figure him out.

Silver waved his hand with a cheerful leer on his lips. Maybe it was his idea of a smile. Either way, he looked cheerful. That was what was important.

Tamao was about to raise her own hand, but decided not to. She had given into enough already; she didn't need to start acting too friendly with him. She'd just quietly follow along, answer to his random comments and then return before Eusine and Crystal woke up. That simple.

Tamao stopped when she reached Silver. He eyed her outfit with a thoughtful look.

" You haven't got a jacket? Aren't you cold?" he asked with a slow tone.

" Yes." Tamao just answered, and held back a shiver.

Silver nodded, and made a small laugh.

" You're going to be even more cold soon", he announced, and started walking. Tamao followed without a word.

The snow was falling peacefully, and Tamao had to look at the ground. If she would watch the falling snowflakes, their peaceful harmony would probably lull her to sleep. She was already tired, so she couldn't take a chance.

Silver made a glance at her every now and then. Tamao couldn't make out of his expression, but then again, she doubted anyone would. His way of thinking was almost as peculiar as his way of expressing his thoughts.

" Don't you like snow?" he asked after a while.

" There's nothing to dislike in it."

" Then why are you looking down? One would think a kimono girl could appreciate the beauty of rare natural events such as this!"

" Ex-kimono girl. Also, it snows in Sinnoh a lot more often than it does here, so snow isn't anything new to me."

" You've been in Sinnoh? When?"

" I'm thinking of buying a house from there."

" Whoa, you're going to live there, huh? The only place outside of Sinnoh I've been in is Kanto. That too just because it was so close. Pretty pathetic, huh?"

" Depends on how you define pathetic."

Silver was quiet after that, for a while. The fall of the snowflakes increased, and their harmony turned into a happy falling. Tamao could lift her eyes. They were still in the same route, mainly because silver clearly wasn't hurrying his steps. He walked really peacefully, taking time on his steps.

" Did you know that the chance of snowfall during this season is just 5,004 ? Silver suddenly asked.

Tamao blinked.

" I knew it was rare, but how do you expect me to have known exact details? How do _you_ know them, anyway?" she asked carefully.

" I was interested, so I did some research", Silver answered ever so peacefully.

" And why did this interest you…?"

" You'll see soon enough."

Tamao didn't bother getting curious. She was too tired.

The Ice path was right ahead of them now. The cold radiating from inside the cave didn't feel as astonishing as it usually did, probably because the snowflakes falling were cold too. The wind was not blowing, it was almost as if there was no wind, but it was still cold. Tamao thought after Silver's words, and therefore was not surprised when they marched right inside the freezing cave.

Tamao looked up to the roof of that cave, and for a moment admired the icicles. She remembered how one had once almost fallen on Sakura's head. She had never come to the cave after that. Tamao smiled, not because the memory was particularly warm, but just because it felt good to remember without feeling hurt.

Silver had taken up a pokeball. He mumbled something to himself in an annoyed tone, and then pushed the button on the ball. His Weavile appeared from a flash of red light.

The pokemon looked at Silver, and leered. Silver nodded, and the pokemon leered again. Then, the Weavile started walking deeper into the cave. Silver followed calmly, and Tamao did too. For a moment, she wondered if she should let Glacia out and enjoy the coolness of the cave, but she decided not to. It was early in the morning, and Glacia was occasionally grumpy when woken up. Tamao would have plenty of time to bring her here later.

The Ice path was indeed cold. Tamao felt the cold piercing her skin, but she knew she couldn't do anything about it. Also, she remembered the first time she had visited Snowpoint city in Sinnoh; she had been unprepared for the freezing air there. This was not that different from that time. She could cope with it.

Silver's Weavile kept walking deeper into the frozen cave. Occasionally it would break a frozen rock with its strong claws, but other than that, nothing happened. They walked in silence. Silver would even lift his lip to his fingers every time Tamao breathed a bit more loudly than usually. It made her wonder what they were doing in the cave; was the silence because they didn't want to scare something? What?

Tamao had lost her idea of time, so when they finally stopped, she didn't know whether they had actually walked for long, or if it just felt like that. Silver gestured her to come closer, so she took quiet steps. They both crouched behind a stone. The ice was already melting under Silver's hand, which he had placed on the stone. It seemed that the ice was extremely cold; even a small bit of warmth would make it melt.

Weavile sat by them, and made a purring sound. Silver placed his hand on its head and smiled. This smile was different from any smile Tamao had seen Silver make; it was the most straightforward. There was nothing twisted in it. Tamao felt weird when watching him smile like that. She was about to get lost in her thoughts, when Silver quietly pointed forward. Tama followed his eyes, and saw a small opening ahead. Obviously, the three could not be seen from that opening, if they would not raise their heads too high. The stone was their hiding place.

Tamao was surprised to see that the opening was full of Sneasel. She had understood that Sneasels were very rare in the ice path; she herself had never seen one there. However, it seemed that there actually were quite many of them there; and they had all gathered into this one opening. Tamao was awed, but she became even more amazed when she realized what these Sneasels were doing.

They were dancing.

It was a dance that was unlike anything Tamao had seen. And she had seen several pokemon dances; as a kimono girl, she had had to learn the different ways pokemon dance and learn from that. However, she had never even heard that Sneasels could even consider dancing. Yet there, in the perfect silence occasionally rhymed by a faint gust of wind ringing the icicles, the Sneasels were dancing a peaceful dance. Somehow, this dance reminded Tamao of Rain Dance. In the instant she had thought of that, she understood.

The snowfall. Silver had mentioned how rare it was. So rare, that it would probably not even be happening naturally. It was caused by the dance of these Sneasels. It was like a rain dance, but only for snow.

" Hey…?" Tamao whispered as quietly as she could.

" Yes?" Silver whispered back.

" Why are they doing this?" Tamao asked as she kept her eyes on the peacefully dancing pokemon.

" You can't _not_ have realized they're dancing for snow?" Silver whispered unsurely.

" I did. But why?" Tamao still couldn't move her eyes.

Silver was quiet for a while. Tamao assumed that he was thinking.

" I'm not quite sure myself. I first saw them doing this by an accident, and ever since then have come here every time it snows on Route 44. I've done some research, but it seems not many have even heard of Sneasels dancing. The only explanation I've fond doesn't make much sense either…" he finally whispered with a quiet, thoughtful voice.

" What do you mean?" Tamao was sincerely interested. She wanted to know where this beautiful dance came from.

" I once talked to the Gym Leader of Mahogany. I didn't mention what I meant with this, since I didn't want him to learn of this all. However, he said something like 'for ice pokemon, snow is a bow for someone great. For one who causes snow, snowfall from others is the greatest honouring of all'. I don't really get it, though" Silver whispered through his teeth.

Tamao looked at the dancing Sneasels in silence. A time that felt like an eternity, yet way too short elapsed while the two silently stared at the dancing Sneasels. It was a very enchanting view. After, Silver placed his hand on Tamao's shoulder.

" We should go," he whispered.

" Why?" Tamao asked. She didn't want to go.

" Sneasels have very keen senses. No matter how quiet we are, they'll notice us eventually. And then their dance will be disturbed. I know from experience."

Tamao felt slightly disappointed, but nodded. She quietly rose on her feet, still bent so that she couldn't be seen from behind the stone, and started backing with Silver. After a while, they were able to rise up and turn around to leave.

Once again, they walked in silence. Weavile was showing the way again; Tamao had a feeling this Weavile was indeed from this cave. It knew it so well, and without it, Tamao and Silver would probably be totally lost.

The opening of the cave came, and the three quietly stepped through it. The snowfall outside was still thick; Tamao could see the Sneasels dance in her mind. She looked up to the sky, and only saw a tiny piece of the grey clouds between the, small and white falling snowflakes. She heard Silver say something to Weavile, and could imagine the pokemon disappearing in a red light. When she looked back at Silver, Weavile had indeed returned to the pokeball Silver was currently putting away.

" Pretty cool, huh?" Silver said calmly, after he noticed that Tamao was looking at him.

" Yes. I'm pretty surprised that _you_ think that's cool, though."

" Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Silver didn't seem to understand at all.

" Well…" Tamao started, and looked back at the opening of the Ice path.

" That bad guy attitude and appearance of yours… It's surprising that you openly admit that you like to see pokemon dance."

Silver stared at her for a while, but then laughed.

" You're right. Five years ago, I probably would have run up to them and waved my hands. I would have laughed at their scared faces. However, things change, and so do people. I guess one could say I've matured, or something. I've realized that just because I'm 'the bad guy' doesn't mean I can't appreciate beautiful things", he said peacefully. His eyes showed a hint of gentleness.

Tamao thought after his words, and then sighed.

" A lot seems to have happened five years ago…" she muttered to herself. Unfortunately, Silver heard her.

" What do you mean by that?" he asked with widened eyes.

Tamao couldn't help but to talk.

" You mentioned 'five years ago'. Somehow, you make it sound like something changed the course of your actions back then."

Silver thought after, but then nodded slightly.

" Well, yeah, I guess you could say so. Nothing precise really happened, but it was around five ears ago that I started becoming more conscious of my own doings, you know? Started forming opinions and all", he said and looked around, as if he wouldn't have wanted anyone to hear him.

" Right. Anyway, it seems that everything had happened five years ago. You know, the fire of the old theatre happened back then. I hear that Crystal… started behaving differently five years ago. And even you…" Tamao spoke unsurely, not even understanding what she said.

Silver listened, and made a sigh.

" I guess you're right, but you think way too highly of coincidences", he chuckled.

" Oh. I guess…" Tamao answered quietly. She knew she couldn't reveal anything more to him.

" _But… I know Crystal's and my case are not a coincidence; they're greatly linked to each other. Silver is closely linked to Crystal. What if… What if this apparent change in him wasn't a coincidence either…?"_ Tamao thought, worried, but then shook off the feeling. She didn't want to think about it. These thoughts brought her to the verge of the thoughts that were born from the dream she had had in the night. She didn't want to. It was too complicated. She just wanted to run away from it, forget it, and have everything become good. She didn't want to think about these troubling things. She just wanted to be enchanted like when watching the Sneasels dance. She didn't want this…

" Hey… Is it just me or did it just become colder here?" Silver suddenly asked.

Tamao felt it too. The air had become piercingly cold, even colder than it had been in the ice path. The snowfall was so thick Tamao could hardly see Silver in it, even though he was standing right beside her. The snowflakes were so cold they didn't even melt when they landed in her hair; instead, they made her black hair look all white. The red of Silver's hair also only slightly shine through these white snowflakes.

Tamao tried to look up, but the falling snow covered even the sky in pure white. Tamao heard silver gasp, but when she looked at him, he looked confused. As if he would have thought he saw something, but was not quite sure. Tamao shook off that feeling, and looked back up.

That was when she saw it too. A flash of something blue, through the infinite whiteness. Tamao wasn't sure what she saw, but in the instant she saw it, a silent voice entered her mind.

" Don't do it." The words echoed in her mind, even though no-one seemed to have said them.

Tamao made a gasping sigh, not knowing what to think. She looked for the blue in the sky again, but it was once again covered in the falling snowflakes. However, the snowfall was slowly starting to clear up.

Tamao and Silver stared into the sky for a time that once again seemed like a small eternity. The snowfall was slowly coming to an end, and soon the two found themselves staring into a clear blue sky, with the sun already starting to melt the snow on the ground.

Silver was the first one to look away from the sky. He turned his eyes to Tamao.

" Gosh, I'm really stupid. I thought I saw some blue pokemon in the sky or something, but it turns out it was just the sky clearing out. How paranoid can one be?" he laughed mockingly at himself.

" I saw it too", Tamao mumbled, slowly lowering her gaze from the sky.

Silver laughed louder.

" Seems like we're both stupid. The only flying, sky-blue pokemon I can think of are Swablu, Altaria and Articuno. And obviously, there are no Swablu or Altaria in Johto, and I doubt we'd be so lucky we'd see Articuno", he chuckled.

Tamao smiled, and nodded. She pretended to agree. However, from the voice she had just heard in her mind, she was pretty sure the two had indeed just seen Articuno. This caused her a slight state of shock, so she was unable to even consider her reaction to this. She had seen so many legendary pokemon already, something she never thought would happen. Now Articuno?

Silver chuckled for a while, but then looked at his Poketch. It was coloured black, obviously. Silver's smile disappeared, and he looked slightly disappointed.

" Oh, you should head back. Those idiots will probably wake up soon", he said with a grumpy voice.

Tamao nodded. She was tired, and hoped she could sleep some more. Maybe she'd even make it back so that she's have time to fall asleep before Eusine and Crystal would come and wake her up?

" Where are you going, then?" she asked.

" I'm going through the path, to Blackthorn. I have to meet someone there. Actually, I'm already late."

" Oh…" Tamao muttered. She was amazed at how fast time could fly.

" By then", she said.

" Bye. But don't worry; I'll call you whenever I have something cool you need to see", Silver answered her. The turned around, and disappeared into the icy cave. Tamao stared after him for a while.

After that, all the troubling thoughts she had suppressed until now started to surface. She shook herself, and turned around. She started walking, and made her pace fats. She suppressed, or at least tried to suppress, all those thoughts again. She was alone now, but she still didn't want to think about them.

What had Articuno meant by 'Don't do it'? Don't do what? Don't do what Lugia and Celebi had told her to? Don't do what Ho-oh had told her to? Don't do anything to Umbreon? What wasn't she supposed to do? And more importantly, what _was_ she supposed to do? How could she make this right? How could she stop the pain Umbreon was feeling? How, and why? What was really going on? Had Ho-oh really lied to her? What… Could someone please tell her what she was to do?

All these thoughts made Tamao feel desperate. She fell on her knees, and felt the cold snow melting under her knees, making them wet. However, she didn't care. She was so confused; all she cared about were her own thoughts, her wish to forget.

" Please… Please stop… Stop flowing like this!" she muttered though her teeth. Yet her thoughts kept on flowing endlessly. Her anxiety grew, and she became afraid. Everything was just so wrong.

She was supposed to be a happy kimono girl living a happy life with her pokemon. She wasn't supposed to be some girl with a hair way too short for a kimono girl trying to save her thought-to-be dead pokemon from a horrible faith. Why? Why did this happen? Why? And why, now that it did happen, did it have to be this complicated? Why did one legendary pokemon tell her to do something, and another tell her it's a lie? What was true? What?

Tamao tried to desperately clear head, but it was no use. She couldn't force herself to stop thinking, nor could she make herself move. It was like she was paralysed, paralysed by her own confused thoughts.

It was quiet, when suddenly the sound of graceful steps in the melting snow reached Tamao's ears. She looked up, and saw a pokemon ahead, looking at her. It took her a while to recognize it.

It was an Espeon. Tamao was familiar with the features; those large ears, the double-edged tail, and the elegant, all-knowing eyes. However, it was no wonder that she had not recognized it at first. Usually Espeons were light purple, but this one wasn't. Not at all.

It was light green.

Tamao stared at the pokemon, the green Espeon staring at he too. At first she couldn't understand what was going on. Espeons just weren't green. Then, she realized that pokemon with different colourings did exist. If she remembered correctly, they were called shiny pokemon. She had heard of them several times, but she had never thought she'd see one.

An Espeon at that. Espeons didn't appear in the wild, especially not here; they were always owned by someone. Therefore, it wasn't just a coincidence that this Espeon had come to her; it probably wanted something. Its trainer probably wanted something.

Tamao tried to smile to the pokemon. She looked into its eyes, and spoke unsurely.

" Ah, hello… I'm sorry that you see me like this. I've, err… had it though. But that aside, where did you come from? Where's your trainer?" she spoke sweetly, not moving her eyes away from the eyes of the pokemon.

The green Espeon didn't respond at first. However, all of a sudden, its eyes started glowing a bright, light green light. Tamao gasped in surprise, but couldn't move her eyes away from the shining eyes of this mysterious pokemon. Then, she started feeling it.

At first, Tamao felt the uttermost pain. It was like her heart was pounding out her tears, in a speed that made her afraid. Her thoughts started flowing in her head, wildly and painfully. She felt like crying, but she couldn't. She couldn't suppress them either.

The pain ended quickly though, in a feeling of peace. The peace felt comfortable, and Tamao couldn't help but to smile in relief. She felt the power of the shining eyes of the pokemon loosening; she could now stop looking at them. Tamao closed her eyes in relief, and felt even more relaxed than before.

Then, Tamao gave into the feeling that had existed in her mind ever since she had said her goodbyes to Silver. She fell asleep. Into a deep, deep sleep.


	16. Crystal

**Chapter 15: Crystal**

Much for Crystal's disappointment, Eusine easily dodged the Hard Stone she had thrown at him. She growled, and reached for another item in her bag. Handily, it was an Everstone, so it was pretty hard as well. Crystal lobbed it at Eusine with all her strength. This time it hit, but just his arm. Crystal didn't have time to feel satisfied though, since Eusine started laughing. Obviously, there was no other way to make him take her rage seriously but to yell at him.

" Oh, stop laughing you idiot! It's not the least bit funny!" she screamed, and was about to throw a Super Potion at him. However, Eusine was quick, and before she managed to throw the time, he had run across the room and grabbed her hand. Crystal struggled, but couldn't move it. She hissed at Eusine, but he just smiled meanly. Crystal felt her rage grow by every moment.

" Calm it, milady. You're going to wake up the whole building", Eusine chuckled, as Crystal stared into his eyes feeling pure anger.

" Who cares? You're the one to blame, after all!" she hissed at him. Eusine laughed, and Crystal felt the urge to roar at him.

" Oh, please. You can't seriously mean you got angry because I gave you my cape? I just didn't want you to get cold, lady!" Eusine chuckled, as he made sure Crystal didn't escape his grip. She was struggling, though. It'd be just a matter of time before she'd free herself, she was sure.

" That's exactly why I'm angry! Do you realize how annoying it is when you do something like that?! I bet you'll ask me to repay you, or if not, you'll at least make sure to bother me with it for the rest of my life!" Crystal hissed angrily.

Eusine blinked his eyes in surprise, but then took on a dramatic tone of voice.

" My goodness, lady Crystal! How lowly you think of me! Of course I wouldn't do something like that!" he whined, with his eyes closed. However, he didn't loosen his grip one bit, much to Crystal's frustration.

" Oh, really?" Crystal hissed, and didn't bother to hold down the sarcasm in her voice.

" Why, of course! I only wanted to assure you a secure sleep, so that you wouldn't catch a cold. Well, of course, since I did such a noble thing, I obviously earn the right to remind you of it a few times in the future, but that's just…" Eusine then continued. Whatever part of Crystal had calmed down was now lit to the flames of rage once again.

" I knew it! I knew it! You're so going to get it!" she screamed, and started struggling with all her might. And just when she was about to free herself (she had already decided to throw her Full Restore at him), Eusine successfully changed the subject.

" But this is astonishing, milady. Now that you've let out such noise, one would think that lady Tamao would already have come to see what is going on. It seems that she can sleep rather deeply. I'm actually rather surprised…" he chatted peacefully, while using his whole strength to keep Crystal from attacking him.

It worked. The rage in Crystal's eyes vanished, and her wrists relaxed. She looked towards the door of her room, the one Eusine had entered a few minutes earlier just to nearly get hit by a Hard Stone. It was true; Tamao wasn't around. Somehow, Crystal had expected her to be there even before Eusine. It was extremely unlikely for her still to be sleeping after Crystal screaming so loudly.

" I hate to say it, but you're right. I thought for sure she'd be an early bird… Somehow, sleeping long just doesn't fit her personality", Crystal unintentionally loosened her grip completely, and didn't manage to attack Eusine before he had already gathered every single object from the floor, and even taken Crystal's bag.

Eusine, while trying to keep his hold on all the things he had acquired to assure his own safety, looked at the door too.

" I agree. This is slightly mysterious. I hope it is natural though; it's be very unpleasant if she would have caught a fever or alike. It was quite cold at night…" Eusine stopped himself from speaking anymore, probably because Crystal gave him a really nasty look. She meant it too; she did not want to hear one word about last night.

After glaring at Eusine for a while, Crystal relaxed her eyes and sighed.

" Well, let's go check on h- I mean, wake her up", she stated peacefully, Eusine made a bow (apparently to express his approval), much to Crystal's annoyement. However, she quickly came up with a good revenge.

" Okay then. Since you were as kind as to collect my things, you might as well carry them for me!" she laughed, and marched out of the room before Eusine managed to do anything.

Crystal walked quickly, so that Eusine couldn't catch up with her. She knew which room Tamao had taken, so it was no problem at all to her. The problem arose when the familiar door appeared ahead of her; should she knock, or was it okay for her to go in? Now she was unsure. However, she didn't want Eusine to notice her hesitating, so she just marched into the room before he managed to catch up on her.

" Tamao! Wake up!" she chirped happily, only to notice that no-one was listening to her. The room was empty; there was nothing that hinted towards Tamao there. Not even her bag.

" Eh… huh?" Crystal gasped in surprise. This was not what she had expected.

Eusine appeared from behind her. He made a tiny gasp too, and Crystal could imagine the melodramatic, surprised expression that had most likely just risen to his face.

" Where could she have gone…?" Eusine asked after a moment of stunned silence.

Crystal just stared at the empty room in surprise. She had no idea what to think. This was just wrong; it couldn't be. Tamao wasn't, well, she was sure she wasn't, the type to disappear all of a sudden. Had she been kidnapped or something? No, highly unlikely. But Crystal still doubted she had just grown bored to them and left. Sure, it wasn't impossible for her to grow bored to them, but to just leave…. No. Didn't sound right.

" Maybe… She's taking a walk?" Crystal voiced the only possible explanation. Eusine didn't say anything, but Crystal knew he agreed.

Though Eusine and Tamao were not exactly the best of friends, he did know Tamao better than Crystal did. And since Crystal knew that the impression she had of the girl went together with how Eusine had described her to be, she knew there was no other possible explanation. Tamao had probably just gone for a walk, the early bid she was, and lost the track of time (though something as careless as that didn't quite seem right for her either…).

Crystal didn't realize it now, but when she later thought about it, she understood that her face was very worried at the moment, even more worried than she actually felt. At least, felt consciously. Even she couldn't know what was going on under the surface of her knowledge. A human mind is a mysterious thing, and Crystal never wished to dive too deeply in to it. She let her feelings come to her as they pleased. In the end, it didn't really matter to her. As long as she felt something, it was well enough for her.

Even so, it was probably a reaction to this worried expression when Eusine suddenly started speaking in a voice slightly more annoying than usual.

" Well, let's go find her, then! I refuse to eat breakfast without her, that would be plain rude, and she could even be lost! No, hurry, milady! Let's go, let's go!" he blabbered off. He started pulling Crystal away from the room, leading her out of the house.

" I can walk by myself, thank you!" Crystal snapped at him faintly, and pulled herself free from his grasp. She was pretty sure Eusine sighed dramatically back then, but she wasn't really paying attention. She was lost in her thoughts, so she just settled to following Eusine silently.

Crystal was not sure what this odd feeling crawling inside her was, but it was spreading. It made her feel uneasy, but she couldn't quite put her finger to it. She could not even feel it clearly. It was like the ominous mist that had appeared back in the forest that day, whatever it was. It swirled around her as a great enigma, not revealing anything about itself. Anything other than that it was very unpleasant. Though it did not make her faint, like the mist had done, it made her feel sick. Not physically ill though; mentally sick.

Therefore, she was hardly paying attention when they said their thanks to the owner of the house and left. The air outside was slightly cool, maybe even a little cold. The ground was wet, so it was clear that it had rained.

" _Or snowed…"_ Crystal suddenly thought, for no apparent reason. However, she felt like laughing at herself after thinking that. Snow? During this season? No way. What was she even thinking? If she remembered correctly, the chance of it snowing around these times was around five percent or so.

For some reason, the thought of snow had caused this mysterious feeling to grip even harder to Crystal's chest. She could feel it clearly, but she didn't understand it any more. It worried her, but she didn't give _too_ much thought to it, as that only seemed to make it worse. Either it was that she was merely worried of Tamao, or then this was some feeling pushing through her consciousness. You never knew of those things.

Even though she was trying to force herself to think of other things, Crystal still realized she just barely snapped out of he deep thought when Eusine suddenly turned towards her.

" Nothing."

" Huh?" Crystal exclaimed in surprise, staring at Eusine's extremely serious face.

" Nothing", Eusine repeated, maybe a tad too slowly. It really annoyed Crystal.

" We've been walking all morning for nothing. Lady Tamao is nowhere to be found. I'm quite sure I've asked everyone in Mahogany, but not one pair of eyes has seen her. Where on earth could she have gone?" Eusine continued, apparently ignorant of Crystal's annoyance.

" We've been walking all morning?" Crystal asked in great surprise. For her, it had felt like a mere few minutes, definitely not like all morning. Maybe Eusine was just being impatient?

Eusine stared at her weirdly for a moment before replying.

" We headed off the house at 8 o'clock. It is now…" Eusine checked a golden pocket watch before continuing his sentence.

" A quarter past twelve."

Crystal could only stare at Eusine. No way! They had been walking for four hours? Impossible! How come her feet weren't sorer than this? How come her thoughts had gone on without repeating so long? What was this, some kind of a joke? Was Eusine trying to trick her?

But no. Crystal could now clearly see that Eusine was speaking the truth. The light was much clearer than it had been when they left, since the sun was shining from the top of the round-looking sky. The ground was already dried out, and Crystal could feel a tiny hint of hunger. She hadn't eaten breakfast, after all.

Ignoring that, Crystal quickly shifted her attention to Tamao. Or rather, the fact that there was no Tamao around.

" Oh, that's odd… Where on earth has she gone? Err… Maybe… She's gone back to the house?" Crystal suggested quickly, a little too desperately, even.

In normal situations, Eusine would have sighed now. However, this time, his face was covered in a serious, worried expression. Crystal felt weird when looking at him.

" Haven't you been paying any attention at all? We've already gone back to the house twice, just to hear she hasn't been there", he said slowly, staring Crystal into the eyes.

" O-oh…" Crystal muttered, not even sure what to think, let alone what to say.

" Well… I… Uh…" she stumbled with her words, with a voice so quiet she doubted Eusine even heard her words.

" Really, what is wrong with you, milady? Surely this can't be exhaustion, as you were so full of energy this morning", Eusine said slowly, with his serious tone sounding off with his slightly goofy choice of words.

Crystal felt a small burst of anger.

" Well, thanks for deciding that for me! Didn't it occur to you that I maybe exhausted myself in the morning, thanks to you! Now, I might have been half asleep for this whole time, but that doesn't mean I want to waste my time standing around here when Tamao is still nowhere ot be seen! So get your lazy feet moving!" she hissed at Eusine, and passed him in great anger.

For a while, she wasn't sure if Eusine was following her, but upon hearing his usual soap-opera-sigh, she knew he was back to his normal, not-serious-annoying self. Just how it should be.

Crystal was strictly denying herself from falling into her thoughts again, as she marched through the town, towards Route 44. She didn't want to fall into this weird zombie-state again for four hours. It was apparent that Tamao had probably gotten lost. Though it seemed to be the most unlikely thing to happen to anyone like her, Crystal was sure about it. And she wanted to find her; she was really getting hungry, now that she wasn't concentrating on this weird feeling still spreading in her mind.

Route 44, if possible, was even colder than Mahogany had been. Even though the sun had already made Crystal feel almost warm, the moment she stepped into the route she felt cold again. This was not very surprising to her, though; after all, it was the route where the Ice Path began. It was natural for it to be slightly colder there than in the surrounding areas.

Time had completely changed pace now. It had just rocketed by when in town, but now every minute felt like the four hours that had been left completely unnoticed by Crystal.

" _Making me feel bad for dozing out like that, I guess…"_ Crystal though bitterly, as she looked around hopelessly. No Tamao around.

" I refuse to stand this much longer. Has she really ditched us?" Crystal muttered. To her surprise, Eusine did not ask her more, even though he had probably heard that she was muttering something.

Feeling suspicious, Crystal turned to look at Eusine. To her surprise, he was holding her PokeNav in his hands, and the little machine was beeping as he went through the options.

" Hey!" she shrieked in surprise, Eusine looked up quickly, in surprise too.

" When did you get that?!"

Eusine looked at her with those annoying serious eyes again, but this time they had some pity in them too.

" Although this clothing might make me look like a butler of some sort…" she started bitterly.

" _I'm surprised that you admit it…"_ Crystal thought, but kept her moody expression on, as she really wanted her PokeNav back.

" …I have to say I am quite insulted that you use me as a servant without even realizing it."

" And what on earth could you mean by…" Crystal started furiously, but that was when she spotted her bag on Eusine's left shoulder. She thought after, and realized she had never taken it back from him after he had seized it to prevent her from throwing the items in it at him.

Crystal stared at Eusine, moving her mouth without getting any words out.

" You carried it this whole time?" she finally managed to ask.

" I'm glad that you finally realized that. Maybe I'll even get some appreciation, hnn? Or is that too much to ask?" Eusine sounded and looked like a sulking little kid. However, that wasn't what annoyed Crystal this time.

" Well, why didn't you just throw the thing at me?! I never asked you to sacrifice yourself!" she shouted angrily.

Eusine looked away, so Crystal had no chance to read his expression.

" I didn't think it'd be polite of me to throw a heavy bag at a girl who was clearly dozing out… whether it was out of exhaustion or something else, I don't know", he answered faintly.

Before she managed to stop herself, Crystal sighed. Very melodramatically.

" I just don't get you sometimes… Well, most of the time, actually", she mumbled, and walked up to Eusine. She tugged gently at her bag, pulling it off his shoulder, and then lifted it to her back.

" Even so…" she then said.

" That doesn't give you the right to play around with my things! What are you even doing?"

Eusine showed her the screen of the PokeNav. Crystal didn't have to look closely to realize it was the list of the phone numbers she had gathered. She was surprised actually; for Eusine to get such a normal and rational idea.

" What? You're going to call her? Didn't you think of it before this? Also, I don't think I have her number…" she said slowly, cursing herself for not asking Tamao's number. She was pretty sure she had a PokeGear, at the very least.

Eusine shook his head.

" I'm well aware that we are unable to contact lady Tamao this way. However, I'm not trying to call her, to be honest", he answered as slowly, probably just out of the habit of annoying Crystal.

" Then who are you calling?"

Eusine stopped going through the list. Crystal took a look at the name above the number. Somehow, it caught her completely dumbstruck.

" Silver?" she asked in disbelief.

The thought _" Why do I even have his number…?"_ quickly appeared to her head, but Crystal shook it off rather quickly, and concentrated on trying to make Eusine see her utter confusion.

" Yes. Silver", Eusine answered dramatically.

" Silver?"

" Silver indeed, milady."

Crystal just shook her head, took a step backwards and stared. Eusine, however, did not look like he was joking. He looked rather serious.

" Why?" Crystal finally managed to ask.

Eusine definitely had pity in his eyes now.

" Do you not se, milady? He was with us yesterday, in that cave. And when we got separated from lady Tamao, it is clear that he was with her for quite some time. The unsociable lad that he is, I find it a likely sing that he has taken some kind of an interest to lady Tamao", he spoke, as if Crystal was a five-year-old. However, she was too surprised to actually care about it.

" So what? You think he marched into the house at night and kidnapped her or something?" she asked sceptically.

Eusine shook his head, looking desperate.

" Oh, lady Crystal! You're being way too dramatic!"

" _Look who's talking…"_ Crystal thought bitterly, feeling the urge to punch Eusine raising its head once again.

Eusine started talking again, in his simple-explanation-voice.

" All I am saying is that there is a chance of him knowing of lady Tamao's whereabouts. I know it's rather slim, but it's better than running around out here in the cold."

" We could just fly, and search in the air, you know", Crystal said, even though she had considered it as her last resort.

Eusine shook his head again.

" That is much more difficult than just making a simple phone call", he said peacefully.

" Simple?! You know what that guy is like! He probably thinks I'm going to challenge him or something if he sees me calling!"

" Well, that misunderstanding can be easily sorted, can it not?"

It took Eusine another while to convince Crystal. Usually, she would have refused, no matter how he tried. However, she was rather tired and cold now. And hungry. Also, the strange emotion inside her was getting so wide it was trying to steal her attention away again. And Crystal didn't want to lose her focus to it. So basically, she had no other choice but to agree to do it. Obviously, Eusine refused to talk to the boy himself, since he considered Silver hardly worth his time. So all the hard work was left to Crystal.

The PokeNav beeped a few times, before Crystal heard the wind blowing on the other end of the call. It seemed that Silver was somewhere high up, probably on a mountain or something.

The boy sounded as stunned to answer this call as Crystal was to make it.

" What the…?" were his glorious opening words.

Crystal sighed harshly, and started speaking quickly.

" Yes, Silver, it's me. And no, I'm not going to battle you. Not now, most likely not ever. I'm only calling you because I was persuaded to."

" By who?" Silver sounded extremely suspicious, and Crystal got the feeling that he was questioning the fact that he was awake.

" By Eusine. Yes, by Eusine. No jokes, please. Look, I don't like talking to you any more than you like talking to me, so let's just get this over with", she answered dryly.

" Hey, you're the one calling me! So if you don't like it, I won't mind if you just…" Silver started to sound so angry Crystal realized she had to get this over wit before he'd barge to where she was and start attacking her.

" Listen. Have you seen Tamao?" she asked shortly.

Silver fell silent for a short moment, but then spoke again with his usual angry voice. A tad too quickly.

" Tamao? Who the heck-? Ah, that black-haired girl who was with you?"

Crystal didn't know if it was just the speed of his voice or something else too, but she was certain that Silver was hiding something.

" Quit messing around. You spent a long time with her in Mt. Mortar, surely she told you her name", she spoke even more dryly than before.

Silver made a small gasp, but got himself together quite quickly.

" Look, how am I supposed to remember the names of your little friends?!" He nearly screamed at the other end of the line.

" Well, I just expected you do, taking how much you like her", Crystal hated going along Eusine's theory, but currently. Her own observations supported the theory that Silver was indeed interested in Tamao somehow. How, well, what did she care?

Silver snorted again, this time loudly.

" And what exactly do you mean by that?" his voice sounded surprisingly calm, yet Crystal could feel fury radiating through the coolness.

" I mean to ask you, have you seen her after yesterday?" Crystal, instead, actually remained cool when asking this once again.

It was clear that crystal was winning this little argument, and Silver too apparently had ot admit it. He sighed, not in an Eusine way, but in a sincere, angry way. Then, he started talking in a defeated voice.

" Yeah, I kinda saw her this morning…" he sounded almost ashamed.

" Oh?" Crystal asked. She was a little surprised actually.

" Don't 'oh' me! She was taking a walk or something, and when I tried to talk to her, she just decided to get back to you guys. Must be out of her mind, that girl… Who'd want to see you, especially that annoying…" Silver hissed, clearly though his teeth, but Crystal interrupted him purposely with a cough. Although she had to agree in the Eusine being annoying part, she didn't want to blabber any more with Silver than absolutely necessary.

" So she was going to return to where we were?" she asked coolly.

" She hasn't? Well, can't blame her. I'd ditch you if I were her. Listen, you got your answer, and I'm not in the mood of being told off by you." And with those words, Silver ended the call, leaving Crystal listening to the slightly irritating beeping of the PokeNav.

" That guy really has no manners…" Crystal sighed, as she closed the PokeNav. However, that was when she started to figure out what she had just heard.

Tamao had apparently gone on a walk. So they had been right about that. And annoyingly, Eusine had been right in the fact that Silver had seen her. However, there was still one thing that didn't match: Silver said she had been about to return to the house. Then where on Earth was she? Yes, it was possible that she had gotten lost, but Crystal still couldn't help but to find that unlikely. So why hadn't she returned? Had she really just decided to run off doing something more important? Had Johto just ended up being too full of painful memories for her, forcing her to suddenly depart to Sinnoh? No, still too unlikely.

Then… Could it be… That someone had prevented her from returning? Someone or something…? Had something _happened to her_ on her way back?

" _No. No way. Tamao can take care of herself", _Crystal convinced herself in her mind, and turned to look at Eusine.

Only to notice that Eusine was not there.

" He-hey! What?!" Crystal gasped, and nearly stumbled in shock.

What was this? People just kept disappearing at random! First Tamao had wandered off somewhere, and now Eusine?!

At first, Crystal could almost feel annoyed panic rising in her, but that was when she noticed a little piece of paper attached to her shoulder. She ripped it off quickly, and read it even quicker.

_Milady,_

_As you spoke, I noticed that you looked extremely pale._

_Therefore, I have gone off to buy us some breakfast._

_Aren't I just charmingly generous?_

_You just keep on searching for lady Tamao, and I'll_

_Catch up with you later. Don't worry, I will find you._

_Love, Eusine_

Said that annoying piece if paper.

" Oh jeez, Eusine!" Crystal hissed to the air, feeling more annoyed than in a while. Eusine really knew how to make others do the hard things. Going to buy food, on a time like this?! Oh, he was so going to regret this later!

This newfound anger gave Crystal a whole bunch of energy. Cursing Eusine in her mind in all possible ways, Crystal stomped along the cold route. She passed the Ice Path twice, and at one point she even resorted to shouting Tamao's name. She was too angry to ask the people who passed by (she didn't want to scare them, as they had nothing to do with her anger, yet she found it impossible to calm down). However, that didn't mean she didn't attract attention. After all, Crystal would regret her attitude later, when Eusine would constantly tease her about the rumours of an enraged girl stomping around Route 44. However, she didn't know it at this time, so she could not prevent this.

After a while of stomping, Crystal decided it was appropriate of her to kick a rock. So she did too; she put a lot of force into that kick, and would probably have been proud of the strength in her, if the rock wouldn't have caught her attention. Actually, the fact that it _wasn't_ a rock was what caught her attention.

The object had flown pretty far, but it didn't take long for Crystal to retrieve it. For her surprise, the item she had thought to be a rock was a pokeball. And not just any, accidentally dropped pokeball either; it was a used pokeball. With a pokemon inside.

" How can anyone be so careless they'll drop something like this?" Crystal mumbled, as she started searching for an object that had not been used for a long time.

It took her a while, but eventually she found it on the bottom of her bag. Her old Pokedex. She had not used it in five years, but she had not had the heart to throw it away. After all, there were so many good memories that were closely related to this pokedex… and it _was_ a bit too valuable to just toss aside carelessly.

Slowly, Crystal picked the function she had always used when checking the stats of the pokemon in her team. She rarely battled these days, so she didn't need it either, but now it really came in handy when finding out what had happened to this poor pokemon.

To her surprise, the picture of a Leafeon appeared to the screen of the Pokedex. A rather powerful Leafeon. And nicknamed too.

" Oh my…" Crystal gasped.

" _This pokemon has definitely no been abandoned purposely. This strong, and nicknamed… No, the trainer must be missing him by now. Let's see…"_ she thought, and pushed onwards on the pokedex. A screen indicating the status of the pokemon appeared to the screen of the pokedex.

Upon seeing that the pokemon was in full health, Crystal shifted her focus to the part that read "OT", the original, and probably current, trainer of this pokemon.

Crystal felt a wave of shock, exactly as powerful as electricity run through her body when she read the name. She had to read it again, and again, and again, and every time the shock was just as bad. She couldn't believe her eyes. No… It was more. She rejected the thought with her whole existence.

Tamao.

The trainer of this pokemon was Tamao.

" Wh-wha-? Wh… Why…?" Crystal barely managed to get out of her mouth.

Crystal looked around furiously, only, to her horror, notice two more pokeballs close to the place she had kicked this one from. With her head empty as void, she rushed back to them, and checked both of them with her pokedex.

Inside those two pokeballs resided Glaceon, called Clacia, and Murkrow. Both owned by Tamao.

This made it clear for her. She might not have known Tamao, but she knew this; Tamao would not just wander off and abandon her pokemon. She was too close to them to do that. Crystal had seen it back at the pond. She had not just dropped them off here and left; something had happened to her. Crystal was certain of it. Something had happened to Tamao.

Something… But what? What would cause a trainer disappear like this, leaving only her pokemno behind? It didn't make any sense… No sense at all…!

Crystal felt her knees fail, and found herself on the ground, shaking. This was weird, it was scary, and it definitely gave her the creeps. Why did this happen to her? Why did this happen to Tamao? What was even going on? Why…?

Suddenly, Crystal could hear the sound of the cold grass around her rustling. She looked up from the pokeballs she had been staring desperately, as if hoping them to tell her where their owner was, just to see a slender pokemon walking towards her.

It took her a while to recognize it. Not only had she not expected to see an Espeon walking around in the wild, but this was no normal Espeon either. The fur of this pokemon was bright green, not purple as it usually was. Crystal was utterly speechless when she stared at the pokemon, as its green fur shone in the sunlight.

She had only seen one pokemon like this before. Long ago, in the Lake of Rage…

The Espeon stopped in front of her, and sat down. It gazed Crystal with its deep eyes, not giving her a chance to think anything. It seemed like the moment lasted forever; the Espeon just stared deep into Crystal's eyes, and she couldn't do anything but to stare back… In despair…

Then, all of a sudden, the Espeon raised its head. It made a sound that sounded oddly satisfied, and got up. The Espeon waved its double-peaked hand at Crystal, and made a strange expression. And expression that reminded her of a smile… or a leer.

Then, the mysterious pokemon just started walking off. Crystal was too surprised, too shocked, too overwhelmed and too confused to do anything about it. She just looked after the green Espeon, and then looked at the pokeballs in her hand. That was when she realized something.

The feeling that had been spreading through her mind all day, and still did. She recognized it. It was completely clear to her now, and she couldn't understand how she hadn't seen it earlier.

Unhappiness. Completely and utterly unexplained unhappiness.


	17. Woes

**Chapter 16: Woes**

At first, Tamao didn't have any dreams. However, she was aware that she was asleep; the darkness around her wasn't merely caused by her closed eyes. No. The darkness was deeper than that; there was no light shining through it, the way it would if she really was just laying awake. And from the deep darkness, Tamao knew that she was in trouble. She was in major trouble, and she had no idea why. She found it hard to think about it. The reason she had fallen to this odd, apparently dangerous slumber… She couldn't think of it. She knew it was because of someone, but who was it?

The thought of people caused Tamao's mind to wander. Her eyes were closed, and the darkness was infinite, so she had nothing to stare at. A mind with no vision occupying it was open for any thoughts that drifted in. There might have been an outer force too, one that wanted her to think about other things. Even so, Tamao found it a lot easier to think about anything else but her current situation. She considered fighting back, but it was useless. It seemed she had been mentally captured by this dreamless sleep, so she might as well behave herself. That at least gave her higher chances of surviving the situation in a reasonable way.

So her mind wandered. The first person it went to was Silver. It bothered Tamao quite a lot that he was the first one she thought of, but she let it be. This was no time to be in denial; there was something in him that attracted her thoughts. This wasn't the first time, after all. She had thought of him several times during the very short time she had known him. And somehow, now, here in this dreamless sleep, Tamao thought that he probably went through the same phenomena. His thoughts were probably pulled towards her like three Magnemites were pulled to each other when a Magneton was about to be born. The way Grimers found themselves attracted by polluted waters, without even considering the clear and clean waters, Tamao's mind went to Silver first, without even giving her the chance of think of others. Not before she was done with thinking of him.

However, Tamao doubted it was anything as natural as the creation of Magnetons or Grimers nesting. There was something more to this. If Tamao were to tell any of her sisters, Sakura, for instance, they would probably call it something as cheesy as 'love at first sight'. While the thought did not make Tamao flinch, probably because she was not awake enough to flinch, she felt no need to rush to desperate denial. She knew it was untrue, and she could calmly think so, while still admitting that her thoughts were not attracted to him by a coincidence. She could feel it now; there was something there when she talked to him. There was something between them when he walked towards her, when he invited her to come along him. Something that could be mistaken for a bond. Something that could surely, one day, if treated correctly, turn into a bond. But it was not a bond yet. A bond was a natural thing, something summoned by… fate? Maybe. Tamao wasn't sure, but she believed that a bond was something Morty could see. And Morty had not warned her about this. If he had seen it, surely he had warned her she would form a bond with someone? After all, right now, such bonds would only restrict her. Make it harder for her.

That thought made Tamao realize something. The restriction, the beginning of a bond that tied her to Silver against her will; it was like a chain. However, the more Tamao thought about it, it did not feel like a chain was connecting her to Silver. It was not like they had been handcuffed together. It was more like they _were_ the chain. Like they were links in a chain, links that existed right next to each other. They were connected, connected with others, but directly connected with each other. So their thoughts met often. Their thoughts met so often, they were creating a bond as a by-product.

This thought, both absurd and abstract, made Tamao feel calmer. While it made no sense to her, it was the most logical thing she had thought for a while. While a part of her thought that thinking while unconscious really wasn't a good idea, every single cell in her body understood that this thing her unconsciousness had bought up was close to the truth. And while she couldn't understand it, she believed it.

The whole chain thought made Tamao so relaxed, her mind started moving on to other people. The first person it touched after Silver was Crystal. It went to her so quickly, without giving time for anyone else, that Tamao grew a bit suspicious about her too. She felt her pain so clearly. What if there was a link between them too? Was she a part of this supposed chain Tamao was thinking of? She had been told she had taken Crystal's place in destiny… But what did that mean, anyway? Were they really linked? And if they were, did it mean she was linked to Silver too? They had known each other before… everything. So it was possible. This thought, however, did not calm Tamao down. Quite the opposite. It made her uneasy, and uneasiness seemed to make thinking more difficult to her. Tamao decided to move on; she didn't want to make this slumber any deeper than it already was.

Ignoring the whole chain thing, Crystal was probably worried of her. A lot of time had to have passed since she left them, and Crystal was probably trying to contact her, when she wasn't busy being driven crazy by Eusine. He was probably worried too, and Tamao could guess how annoying he had to be when worried. He probably drove everyone around him crazy, not only Crystal, but maybe even Leafia and Glacia too… If they were with them. Although Tamao couldn't be sure, she was certain that Leafia and Glacia were not with her. Murkrow was not there either. Not in their pokeballs, not close to her by all means. It was hard to explain, but she felt it. She knew she was alone, alone wherever she slept. There might have been someone with her, but that someone was not someone she wanted to be with. That someone was a person she should not think about, for that person made her mind blurrier if she paid him or her too much attention. That person was the one granting her this dreamless darkness.

The dizziness and blurry mind was getting to her, so Tamao decided all she could do was to worry of other things. All she had for now was her clear mind; she wanted to keep it clear. Her consciousness and body were apparently controlled, so all she could do was think. And think she did. But thoughts always had a tendency of turning into worry. Worry and painful memories. After all, there was something Tamao still had yet to understand, something she still needed to realize. And apparently, this threat of blurriness was there to keep her from realizing it. Therefore, she had to think of other things to worry of. The worries and the memories might bring her the solution too, although that road was a lot rockier. She was to fall, it'd be very painful. But right now, it was all she could do. She had to worry.

While Tamao was quite sure her pokemon were physically all right, she was worried of their thoughts as much as her own thoughts worried her. After all, her pokemon had always shown devotion to her. Devotion that she had sometimes thought she didn't deserve. But it was devotion, a loyalty that gave her three friends she could always trust, no matter what. No matter what kind of worries or trouble she met, she knew there was always someone to make her see things in another light. This feeling had, despite all the sadness her return to Johto had given her, just gained more power when she came back. Suddenly, she had recovered some of the trust she had had in her sisters before. Suddenly, Tamao had placed a lot of words in Morty's words. Suddenly, Tamao had allowed herself to be annoyed daily by Eusine. Suddenly, Tamao had realized, that while they both had changed drastically, she could still relate to Crystal. Suddenly, Tamao had discovered she still had the strength to consider creating new bonds, since she had unconsciously hoped she'd get to know Silver after whatever result this situation spawned. Suddenly, Tamao had realized her mourning over Umbreon had been complete before broken; in other words, she could move on with her life. There were people she was worried about, and the very people were likely to worry about her. While Tamao had sworn to be independent, to never let her pride down, she realized that putting these worries to them meant that she was depending on them somehow.

Would she depend on them to save her? That depended. Obviously, she couldn't be quite sure if she was in any danger, even though it seemed more likely than anything. But she wasn't in any instant danger, so it was possible that no rescuing was needed. Even so, Tamao wasn't sure how she'd manage to get out of this situation herself. What if there wasn't a way? Then she'd have to be rescued. And to be rescued, she needed to be found.

Well, Tamao did trust her pokemon to be able to find her; both Leafia and Glacia had excellent senses, and they knew her scent by heart. On top of that, Murkrow had keen eyes, and the ability to fly. Together, the three would probably find her rather easily, unless she was well hidden. The rescuing itself… Well, Tamao had several people in mind who were capable of it. Her sisters were powerful fighters, but they probably knew nothing of her current distress. Morty was a gym leader, but since he was so focused being the seer, he rarely did something so direct himself. Crystal and Eusine were both powerful, but they might start arguing about how they would save her, and miss their chance. So no, it seemed that Tamao did have a hard time trusting these people, everyone but her pokemon.

And… One other person too.

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Silver, although having a hard time admitting it to himself, was getting worried. It had been a while since he had worried last, so he didn't quite recognize the feeling when it first snuck up to him. However, when he did realize he was worried, he got worried about it. And thus, with his worry doubled, he got even more worried. This he knew could not be good; Silver was never worried.

After questioning his own health for a while, Silver also had to admit he knew the reason for his worry perfectly. There was no doubt about it, and this irritated him quite a lot. He wasn't supposed to worry about such things, after all.

The phone call he had gotten from Crystal had surprised him, that he could freely admit. It had startled him quite greatly. However, even though he knew that Crystal would rather jump off Mt. Silver than call him, her words had startled him even more, and become a source for this endless circle of worries Silver was feeling. And he was not happy about it; not happy about Crystal calling him, not happy about her words, not happy about his reaction to them. Everything seemed to be just wrong.

" _So, that girl didn't return to the two idiots… Makes sense, I guess, but why'd she do that? She wasn't even considering a change of plans in the morning…" _Silver though for the thousandth time, as he aimlessly circled around Blackthorn city. The people he passed looked at him suspiciously; his aimless walking together with his appearance probably made them think he was up to something. Not that he cared, though; he was used to it. He had gotten that treatment for many years now, and five years ago those assumptions would probably even have been correct. Therefore, one could say he pretty much deserved it. So it didn't really bother him.

Irritated with his own worry, Silver found himself even more frustrated when he realized where his steps were headed; it seemed that he had unconsciously started walking towards the Ice Path.

" _What? Now I'm going to go look for her. Ha! Not happening. I'm not going to go crazy and start playing hero here… Just because they can't find her doesn't mean that she's in some weird danger or something…"_ Silver was almost convince din his own angry words, but that was when the word danger hit his thoughts. And from that word, a thousand images of he creature in the black mist spread through his mind, leaving behind awkward afterthoughts.

This caused Silver to seriously consider looking for her; after all, if the girl really had run into that black creature, Crystal and Eusine would be no help for her. They'd just faint, and leave her with two more people to worry about.

" _That stupid good girl; she's obviously one of the majority, who worry about people who shouldn't mean anything to them…"_ Silver thought angrily, as he set his foot in the Ice Path. He was instantly hit with a soothing, cold air, which cleared his thoughts out a little.

Angry with himself, Silver quickly turned around and left the cave. He was panicking. He hated panicking. And he was NOT going to leave Blackthorn so he could join the little search party Crystal and the idiot had formed. It was not like that girl, Tamao, couldn't take care of herself. While she might not have been the greatest trainer on earth, her pokemon weren't helpless, and she knew how to handle danger situations. She probably had a few more tricks with her than what Silver had seen, since she seemed to be pretty used to that misty thing.

To stop himself from acting recklessly, Silver stomped away from the Ice Path. He even passed Blackthorn, going straight to Route 45. The further away he'd get from the place he last saw the girl, the less he'd worry. He was sure of that. So he had to get far way, quickly.

" _Maybe I'll go to Kanto…"_ Silver thought angrily, as he stomped down the mountain road. He held back the urge to kick a Geodude, which was trying to challenge him for a battle. While he still couldn't be counted as the good guy (and hopefully would never be), he still didn't want to go back to what he had been. The pokemon couldn't know he wasn't in the mood, so it didn't deserve being assaulted like that. So, Silver just stomped on.

Walking made Silver calm down, and realize how weirdly he was acting by running away like this. Although he had always been something of a coward (while not scared by danger, always running away from difficult things), he hadn't realized this was so hard for him. Was it even natural to worry about someone he had known for such a short time? Probably not. But even so, silver was highly disoriented by his worry. How annoying.

While walking close to Route 46, Silver was pretty convinced he was just being stupid, and needed to get a grip. This thought was the result of his hard work claming himself down ,and trying to make the worry in him dissolve. However, sometimes we are bound to lose things we work hard for. And that is exactly what happened to Silver at that moment.

For some reason, in the instant Silver noticed two people standing in front of the entrance to the Dark Cave, he could feel his worry creeping back to his mind. While his primary focus was on these two people, he did have his mind full of trying to chase the worry away, once again.

For a reason unknown to himself, Silver didn't want these two to see him. No matter what, he didn't want that to happen. And since he had been following his weird urges for all day, he figured he might as well hide; it was not too far away form his usual behaviour, since he usually avoided social contacts with other people.

So, Silver moved to stand behind a conveniently situated rock, rather close to those two. If he breathed really quietly, he could hear what they were saying. And, luckily to him, it seemed that the two were too engaged in their conversation to have noticed him appear and hide.

Although Silver had not mistaken these two for Hikers for one second (they were way too… _small_… to be associated with the hikers around this mountain), Silver was surprised to realize he recognized both of the voices speaking. He also realized that the fact that these two voices were here was peculiar, out of place. Both of them should be somewhere else, as far as he knew.

Carefully, Silver peeked from hide, eying the two people talking. He had been correct; the two voices, speaking quietly, but in an agitated tone, did indeed belong to that idiot Eusine, and the gym leader of Ecruteak city, Morty. As Silver withdrew his head, to avoid being seen, he realized this little fact bothered him a bit more than it should have, once again. Never mind the gym leader, but wasn't that Eusine suppose dot be looking for Tamao?

Silver found himself feeling so worried, he realized he'd have a hard time going on if he wouldn't find out. And, since he obviously couldn't just go and ask them, it seemed that the only way to find out was to eavesdrop. Not that it bothered him; Silver still didn't see why people thought eavesdropping was wrong. If people were talking in a wide-open place, they couldn't expect that no-one would hear them. It was their own fault for not going to a more secure place to talk.

Eusine's voice was a bit louder than Morty's, and it was definitely more agitated. In fact, Silver noticed that it sounded very frustrated.

"… You say that, but I still think it just makes things more difficult! I cannot say I quite understand this situation, but I'm sure that telling her wouldn't have too horrible consciences! She is currently very worried, and if we don't tell her, it's like sending a blind man search for a yellow Magikarp from the sea…!" Eusine spoke, in a quicker tone than he usually did. It was obvious that he was having a great disagreeing with Morty, but it didn't sound to Silver like they were arguing. Then again, from what Silver remembered of the gym leader, he was way too calm to be argued with.

Eusine's voice paused, apparently waiting for Morty to reply. It was silent for a while.

" I understand that you're worried. I admit that I do not understand the amount of your worry, as the worry I experience was relieved beforehand, when I saw this would happen. But even though I understand that you're worried, you know I can' just say it's okay for you to go and do reckless things. Telling her might feel right for you now, but the results would not be good, even if you did find Tamao." Morty's voice was calm and collected, and Silver was unsure whether he was just imagining the sadness he thought he could hear from it.

Unlike Morty, Eusine bursted into words in the instant Morty had finished. Silver did notice that he didn't, however, interrupt him.

" You know that it really bothers me when you say things like that! If you knew what was going to happen, couldn't you just have warned me? Why do you not just tell us where she is no, so we can go rescue her? Although she is not particularly close to me, I do care about her, and it is not just lady Crystal I'm thinking about when I say these words to you. And you… you care about her more than I and lady Crystal together, so why will you not go and save her yourself?" Eusine's voice now sounded both frustrated and exhausted. It seemed that he was very desperate about making Morty see things his way.

The heavy silence returned for a while, and when Morty finally started speaking, Silver knew that there was no doubt about it; there was definitely a deep sadness echoing in his voice.

" I am not the one who is meant to save her. Not now, and not in any danger. Even when she'll face things a thousand times worse than this, I am not meant to do anything more than what I will without a doubt do. I am not one to protect her form this fate. And, I'm sorry to tell you, my friend, that neither are you. For Tamao, or for Crystal."

Morty's silent words were followed by a frustrated sigh from Eusine. He began to speak again, calmer this time, but still with great deal of anxiousness in his voice.

" I really don't understand this… No matter how hard I try, I just can't make myself see the logic…" he sighed out, with the anger in his voice turned into the voice of a defeated man.

" I know that you see things they way they're apparently supposed to go, but do they really have to go that way? It's not that I don't trust your word, but is it really okay for us to risk things, just because you've seen that they must be risked? It feels so… pointless… to me, when we could protect what we had, instead of risking it!"

The silence returned after Eusine's words. Morty's sad voice eventually cut through it, once again.

"Not everything can be protected. Life is about taking risks too. It is not easy for me to allow things to happen either, you do know that. Back when I was young, and still inexperienced with this power, it was mere torture for me not go and change things for the better. Even now, it is an endless struggle for me to quiet down the part of me that screams and demands me to go and save her. However, there is one thing that makes it easier; I know what will happen if we do as I see, but I have no idea what would happen if we were to change our actions. The future beyond those choices might be a lot darker than the future that had been entrusted to my eyes."

While Silver was generally confused about Morty's words, he did understand that they were talking about him as 'the Mystic Seer of the Future'. Although he had always thought that title was just a bunch of random nonsense associated with Gym Leaders, hearing the heavy tone in Morty's voice made it clear to Silver that he was some sort of a psychic. This bothered him, once again; if he was a psychic, this sad tone he had when speaking of things that were clearly somehow related to Tamao was alarming. Worry gripped Silver's mind, and he had to struggle to keep his heartbeat down, so he could hear Eusine's reply.

" But you cannot know that! The future beyond those choices may be lighter too! It may be a happy one…!" Eusine sounded so sincerely desperate that Silver realized he was having hard time in finding him annoying right now.

Silver quietly turned around in his hide, and let his left eye peek from the corner of the rock. Eusine and Morty were facing each other, and Eusine's expression was a perfect reflection to the words he had just said. Morty, instead, looked calm, yet extremely sorrowful.

" But you do see it could be bad too. And you do not wish to risk things, right…? The risk in not following my visions is greater than the risk in following them, and I know you understand that", Morty's expression had turned into a sorrowful smile, a smile that provided nothing of the happiness a smile was supposed to provide. It was a sad, depressing expression.

Eusine sighed deeply. His expression turned painful, and he closed his eyes. He was holding his forehead with his hand, and seemed to be deeply troubled. This greatly increased the worry Silver was feeling; this whole conversation was so ominous, it made him feel sick. What was going on? Why were they talking like this? Why did they make it seem like that girl Tamao had a terrible future ahead of her? She didn't seem like someone who'd have to suffer form her own choices, so…

" _What is going on?!"_ Silver nearly shouted in his head, as he stared quietly at the two. His shout was interrupted by Eusine's quiet words.

" I just can't understand it… Why is it so that we can't do anything? I might guess it with you, since you are the seer, and seers are always suppose dot be neutral, but… Why me? Why am I not allowed to do anything about this?"

Morty shook his head silently, and answered in a quiet, assured, but slightly bitter tone.

" Seers might be neutral, but even we have things only we are supposed to do. The reason you an I cannot do anything about this lies not in my powers", his smile had turned into a mere, angry face. Silver was surprised that something that passionate could penetrate the cold sadness radiating from his eyes and voice.

" Then why…?"

" Because we are not a part of the chain", Morty answered simply. The words were a mystery to Silver. Even so, he found a small, silent gasp escaping his lungs when he heard them. These words were heavy. Whatever their meaning was, it was a great one.

Eusine looked at Morty silently, to which the gym leader replied by sighing deeply. He then started speaking, in a tone that made it very clear that he absolutely resented speaking about this subject.

" I've told you before; in this puzzle, there are four pieces. The death of one leads into the life of another. The life of another leads into the happiness of the third, yet the death of the first leads into the pain of the fourth. One will live, one will die. One will become happy, one will suffer. And no-one outside of the puzzle will be able to affect it. We can guide it, but we cannot complete it", Morty said clearly, with a voice full of pain. Eusine looked at him for a while, then turned his eyes away. Silver felt a gripping pain in his chest.

" So no matter what, we have a lot of pain ahead of us too", Eusine muttered after a while. Morty nodded, even though he probably knew Eusine didn't look at him. He didn't need to. Eusine clearly knew it too.

It was silent for a long while after that. While Silver could clearly feel a part of him that wanted to jump up and demand the two to explain what on earth they were talking about, a part of him just wanted to stay there, hidden, and forget everything that he had just heard. Everything they said felt so… wrong, to him. Like it was something that shouldn't be happening, but there was no doubt it really was. And Silver didn't even understand it. All he knew was that he was experiencing a truly terrible feeling, and that the worry in him was growing into unnatural heights.

After the long silence, Eusine finally sighed a long, deep sigh.

" I understand. There is no use in me arguing. Your word is the only thing I can trust now, so struggling against it would be very unwise… It pains me, but it seems I can only hope for things to change… For her good…" Eusine's voice faded away. He looked at Morty quietly, who returned his gaze without a word. Then he spoke again.

" I believe you wish against me this time, no…?"

Morty shook his head, but something about the gesture made Silver feel like he was, in fact, agreeing with Eusine. After that, Morty spoke in a numb voice.

" What I wish is for this whole chain to lose it's meaning, to cease from ripping the destinies of these people who never deserved it in the first place. However, I know my wish is unlikely to be granted, so I'm bound to trust myself into one side of our chances. And in that, you're correct. I don't want her to die."

Eusine looked at him quietly, and then nodded.

" You won't stop co-operating with me because of it, right?" he asked, Morty shook his head.

" Of course not. You're my friend, regardless of what will happen. And even if our opinions diverse, there is nothing we can do about this", he answered, rather peacefully.

Eusine nodded again.

" I should leave, then. Lady Crystal is probably so furious at me I'll be in a world of pain when I return to her. Also, she had probably already found… _them_", something about the last word he said made Silver shiver, which was a very unfamiliar feeling for him.

" She has. But listen…", Morty answered. He looked at Eusine more seriously than he ad for the whole conversation.

" …Whatever you do, do not tell her anything. The more this situation advances, the more likely it is that they all meet at the same time. Currently, one has a full awareness of what is going on. Another will gain it soon, and the third knows more than you even realize. If she becomes aware of this, and they all meet, something terrible will happen." Morty spoke with eyes so serious, even Eusine looked astonished. However, he apparently tried to look calm.

" Oh, come on. You haven't seen anything like that, have you?" he asked in a teasing tone. Morty raised his hand, and looked stern.

" Do not ask me that. In this current situation, my visions cannot be trusted as well as usually. Destiny is in chaos; I do not see the future, I see what can come of the future. Possibilities. What ifs. Anything can happen, and I have no guarantee I will foresee it early enough to prevent damage", he spoke with a shivering voice.

A painful silence took over the two for a while. After that, Eusine just nodded for the third time, and turned away. Without saying good-bye, Eusine walked away, up the mountain road. Soon, he was long gone on the road, leaving Silver gazing at Morty standing alone, with apparently no intention to leave.

A while after Eusine had left, Morty suddenly opened his mouth to speak again.

" You can come out now", he said peacefully.

Obviously, he was talking to Silver. However, Silver did have a hard time getting shocked by him knowing about him listening. Something about the conversation just now had made Silver feel very numb. So numb, feelings other than worry had to fight twice as hard to get to him.

And so, Silver didn't think about staying hidden, or escaping the place. He simple stepped away from the rock, to face Morty. The two stared at each other for a while, before Silver finally managed to get a thought into his head, and find words to express it.

" You saw that I would do this." It was not a question.

Morty nodded.

" But you didn't tell him?"

Morty shook his head. His face expressionless, but there was sadness in his eyes.

Silver gulped. It was difficult for him to speak, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything else.

" What do you want from me?" he asked, trying to keep his voice moody. He failed quite miserably.

" I want you to do what I am not allowed to do", Morty answered seriously. Silver gulped, but he felt something inside him light up with those words. Somehow, those words created a light that managed to penetrate the worry in him. Was it hope? Maybe. Silver wasn't very familiar with what people called 'hope'.

" You'll tell me where she is?" he guessed, annoyed by the fact that this 'hope' was clearly echoing in his voice.

" Yes", Morty answered shortly.

Silver stared at him quietly. While, oddly enough, it felt rather natural to him that he would be the one Morty sent after the girl, something did bother him.

" So… _I_ can make a difference, while you and the idiot can't?" he asked. His voice was most definitely moody now.

Morty smiled his sad smile, and Silver had to wonder why he even bothered to answer. Silver knew already.

" Yes."

" So… I'm a part of the 'chain'? A piece in that puzzle you spoke of?"

" Yes."

Silver stared at Morty for a while, feeling both astonished and… unimpressed. While he knew that his answer, together with what Silver had heard, should horrify him, scare him and make him want to run away, he didn't feel so. The only thought he could think was 'I knew it', even though he didn't even know what they were talking about. But it was true; he had known. He had known on the moment he laid his eyes on that black-haired girl, Tamao. He had known, each time he cursed his faith and Crystal for not battling him. He had known, the moment five years ago he suddenly found himself very different from what he had thought he was.

But the truth was, he didn't know. While he knew what he was in this situation, he didn't know the situation. He knew his path, but he didn't know his destiny. So, there was only one thing she could do now.

" So what is it then? What the hack is that 'chain', anyway? You can't expect me to go and rescue someone without having a clue of what I'm doing!" he spoke quickly, feeling anxious. Even tough he wanted to know, the part of him that had known was against it. A major part of him still wanted to run away.

Morty took a step closer to him.

" I don't. I'm fully prepare do tell you whatever you need to… No. After this, you shall know everything I know about this. How you handle that information… That I don't know. But I do know that sending you to unknowingly do something you must is not something faith would do. And therefore, it is not something I would do", he answered seriously, the sadness in his eyes getting almost unbearably pressuring for Silver.

Morty stopped right in front of him. Silver stared at him, feeling annoyed by his long silence.

" Start talking, then!" he shouted, feeling irritated.

" I do have a condition", Morty answered to his shout, though his voice was quiet and calm. '

" What?!" Silver raged, but Morty just looked at him sternly.

" Will you meet it?" he asked.

Silver felt enraged, but something about Morty's stern, sad eyes made him just snort and look away.

" Whatever…" he muttered angrily.

" Well then. I shall tell you everything, in the condition that you do not share you knowledge with Tamao. I do not wish for her to know any more than necessary, and it pains me to tell you that she will find out before the sun has set two times. However, the person she finds it out form will not be you. Do you understand?" Morty's eyes were piercing, as he stared at Silver, like a Noctowl stared at a Gastly that is trying to creep into its nest.

Silver only had one choice.

" Fine", he muttered, trying to avoid Morty's gaze.


	18. Not One

Chapter 17: Not one

_I'm taking you out of the equation._

Apparently, some fifteen years ago, a girl was born in Violet City. That is what Tamao learned while sleeping.

_I'm taking you out of the equation._

She was very much like her, actually. Physically, they had more than a lot in common. After all, when looking at the illusion if this girl in front of her, Tamao could've easily been convinced that it was she herself. Her black hair was cut the way hers was, her forehead looked a bit too long, just like hers, her body was built the same way, and she even seemed around the same height as her – though when Tamao really paid attention, she realized this girl looked a bit taller than her. Apparently, her back was straighter when she stood up. For the first time in her life, Tamao had a moment of worry about her posture.

_I'm taking you out of the equation._

There were other differences too, though. The first thing Tamao paid attention to were the eyes of this girl. Unlike hers, they were bright, light green. They were of a colour that seemed to remind her of something she had seen recently, but she couldn't quite put her finger to it. The dream didn't seem to want her to. But, that was okay; there was a lot more to move on to. Nothing major, but notable things either way.

The second thing Tamao saw was the differing choices of clothing the two had. While Tamao preferred darker colours, like murk green or even black on bad days, this girl seemed to like pastel colours. The aloof-adventurer style Tamao usually preferred was nowhere to be soon on her, too. Instead, she was wearing a simple, rather pretty white summer dress. Tamao herself felt that she would look weird in such clothing, but the girl was pulling it off. Even the soft yellow headband with the ribbon on her hair didn't make her look childish. Perhaps it was thanks to her personality. It was probably very different from Tamao's.

_I'm taking you out of the equation._

The reason Tamao could guess her personality was probably different was the expression on her face. While Tamao usually preferred an empty face or even a moody scowl, this girl was smiling very pleasantly. Looking at her, Tamao decided she might as well practice smiling like that if she ever got over her current situation. It might be a bit more inviting to other people… Though she wasn't sure if that was what she wanted. People sometimes made her a little uneasy.

Either way, the girl who was so very similar to her while being completely different interested Tamao somewhat. Why was she dreaming of this person? Did she really exist? Who exactly was she?

_I'm taking you out of the equation._

As if to answer Tamao's question, the image of the girl faded away. Tamao's vision turned blurry. She felt like wiping her eyes, but she couldn't even lift her hands. It would've been no use, of course. After all, this was still that odd dream. Something blurry would probably stay blurry as long as the dream wanted it to. It had hardly anything to do with Tamao herself.

The blurry image did start becoming clearer soon enough, gratefully. Tamao was able to recognize the picture some time before it became completely sharp too. It was a rather lovely landscape picture of Violet city. The apparent place of birth for this person who apparently existed.

Oh, then perhaps she was about to hear her life story? Tamao wasn't sure if she was particularly interested in getting an answer quite that detailed. But she had to watch, so she didn't struggle. The hold of this dream was too strong on her, there wasn't much she could do on her own. It seemed like she had to accept that for now.

_I'm taking you out of the equation._

The weird, irritating repeating sentence seemed to be getting more distant now. Tamao was relieved to notice that. She had heard the same line for who knows how many times now, and she still didn't understand it. She wasn't sure if she was even supposed to, but either way it irritated her. She knew it had to be sinister, there was absolutely no doubt about that, but there was nothing she could do. She couldn't even panic. The dream kept her in a state that, while not calm, was relatively nonchalant towards her current uncomfortable situation. It was so strong that didn't even bother her too much. Enough to make her a little uneasy, but not too much.

The voice echoed a little, and the Violet city in front of Tamao's eyes turned sharp and lively. Way too sharp to be her own dream – Tamao had been to Violet city, but not often enough to know it in such detail. The facial features of everyone passing by, the exact shades of the blue roofs, the silent yet omnipresent ticking of the sprout tower… She didn't remember ever actually noticing them, not like this. This dream definitely wasn't hers.

That was when the show began. Tamao watched, unsure of whether she was bored or interested, as a little green-eyes girl, otherwise identical to Tamao's own baby pictures, played with a pokémon egg on the floor of a light room. It seemed that she was trying to eat the thing, despite the fact that it was twice the size of her head. Yet, she looked awfully focused on he mission. Babies could be so illogical.

Scenes flowed by Tamao's eyes. These possible memories of someone's life flashed to her like a movie. The situations she saw seemed completely random, though they seemed to follow a chronological order. There was a moment the baby girl bit her tongue with her first tooth, bursting into unbelievable scream. Oddly enough, while Tamao usually felt uneasy when a baby was crying, this time she could almost relate to the baby. She was certainly feeling her pain, for some bizarre reason.

The next scene appeared, as suddenly as the old one had begun. The egg the girl had been trying to have for lunch finally hatched, and she watched in pure awe. The little hatchling turned out to be an Eevee – Tamao felt an instant sting in her heart – and the little pokémon leaped into the arms of the little girl the instant the last piece of the eggshell was off. This scared the child, and she started screaming again. This instead served to scare the baby pokémon, causing the two to scream in unison. Tamao felt amused – it was a scene from every home video in existence, a pokémon and child yelling together. Even she had seen herself do that in a photo of the early years of her life.

The next scene showed the girl and the Eevee playing together in the sunny streets of Violet city. Tamao could see sunburn on the shoulders of her little look-alike. She realized the girl's hair had to be like hot iron too, since the sun really seemed to e blazing. Weird, since she didn't seem to notice and kept on playing. Perhaps the kid was tough.

The sunlight brought another particularly notable detail to Tamao's mind. Now that she looked at it, the colour of the girl's Eevee seemed… off. Its fur wasn't of the full, light chocolate brown Tamao had seen so many times during her rather short life. Instead, it was a pale, almost grey brown. It was so different from the usual, Tamao knew it couldn't be just coincidental variation – no, this pokémon was definitely what they called " a shiny pokémon". This particular detail seemed to remind Tamao of something that felt very crucial, but, once again, she couldn't recall it. Her mind wasn't fully under her control now.

The rest of the scenes were very similar to the ones before. They were simply short slices of some euphoric, cheerful life she had never heard of before. Tamao couldn't help but to doubt the story of this look-alike girl growing up happily with her shiny Eevee. Not that she was that distinct-looking, but having a nearly identical doppelgänger living just a few towns away? She was sure she would've heard of it.

That was not all there was to it, of course. As Tamao watched the different phases of the lives of these two, the lack of anything sorrowful or painful happening became all the more apparent. It seemed like every day was a sunshiny, happy place for these two. Everyone greeted them with love and happiness, they won every single battle they happened to take part in, and just generally seemed to be living a dream. Even if they were real, it was clear someone was editing the story a little. Even if something like this existed, Tamao was sure it couldn't be healthy. It wasn't like she was into pain or anything, but she had a good appreciation for realism.

Tamao's thoughts were interrupted by a particularly notable moment in the life of miss perfect and her rare pokémon. The girl had reached her preteens by now, dawning on eleven or twelve. She stared in astonishment, as her little Eevee suddenly started glowing as the sunlight surrounding it. The girl gasped as the shape of the little pokémon took new twists and turns. Tamao, however, knew the process well; she had seen it before. The body of the pokémon turned a little taller and much more slender, its tail got thinner and thinner, parting into two ways. Before long, an Espeon was revealed from the light.

And Espeon with a bright, light green fur.

The moment Tamao saw this she became extremely uncomfortable. She felt something raspy in her throat, as if she was holding back a scream. She knew why it was though; a memory was trying to come through to her. A very important memory, it seemed, a very crucial and critical one. But she couldn't touch it or obtain it at all. Her inner workings seemed to be struggling their hardest to get the message to her, but the dream was victorious in every struggle. She felt like a third party, having no idea what she was supposed to remember, yet knowing the dream seemed to be working against her.

_I'm taking you out of the equation._

That's what the dream said. It had been a while since Tamao had heard it, but it felt all the more stubborn now. Tamao didn't find it reassuring, but she realized there was no use talking back to it. Whether or not the dream wanted to hurt her, she was its captive for now. So even if it felt wrong and painful, she couldn't do anything but feel the dream slowly suffocate the opposing voices of her mind.

After a while, it started feeling quite nice, actually. The dream made her feel rather peaceful, uncaring, and somewhat cheerful. Suddenly, watching the phases of the life of the green-eyed girl seemed like a very good way to pass her time. The girl seemed to be having a very nice time with her life too. She looked happy. The evolution of her pokémon proved that it was happy too. No matter where the girl went, there was happiness surrounding her. Tamao started wondering why she had seen anything wrong in that, and why thinking this made he feel sort of wrong. That, if something, didn't feel logical at all o her. Not anymore.

_I'm taking you out of the equation._

The sentence of the dream didn't irritate Tamao so much anymore. She was too relaxed to be annoyed. She now felt that whatever that thing meant, it probably didn't make any difference if she understood or not. The dream seemed more than eager to do the thinking for her, so she might as well let it. She was feeling far too good to identify it as a threat. Why would it want anything bad to her? So far, it had seemed like a very nice dream indeed.

_I'm taking you out of the equation._

Though it did seem to be repeating itself more often now. Tamao wondered if there was any meaning to it. She wasn't particularly interested, but the words sometimes broke off her concentration. And she liked concentrating on the memories the dream was showing her, the one's of the green-eyed girl and the green Espeon. Now that she looked at them, Tamao realized the green of the eyes was identical to the green of the fur. What a coincidence!

_I'm taking you out of the equation._

But whose memories were these anyway? The dream didn't seem to offer any answers to that question. Neither did Tamao's own head; at the moment, it was becoming as blurry as the image of Violet city had been in the beginning. It was becoming very hard for her to remember even the simplest things, like the reason her throat was so sore, why she sometimes felt so uneasy when watching the Espeon of the memories. She also wasn't sure of what she was or wasn't supposed to know. Now that she really thought about it, even thinking itself felt a little heavy. Heavy and uninteresting.

_I'm taking you out of the equation._

Tamao sighed to herself. She decided it was better to get lost in the memories the dream so kindly presented to her. It was a lot easier than thinking herself. A lot more pleasant too. Whenever she even tried thinking too much, she started feeling increasingly uneasy, like she was missing some very important detail. The scenes in front of her eyes weren't like that at all. They were happy and nice. It was comfortable to watch them. Tamao even felt a little envious of the girl in them. She probably didn't feel uncomfortable when thinking herself.

_I'm taking you out of the equation._

" Why do you keep saying that?" Tamao tried to ask, but she didn't manage to form the words. She couldn't even find them, truth to be told. Maybe she wasn't supposed to. No, it was better just to watch the nice pictures, the pleasant moments presenting themselves to her.

A lot seemed to have happened to this girl during her life. Tamao watched the many battles, the many amusing circumstances, the days and the nights. The most recent event seemed to have taken her to a very cold Route, one right next to the entrance of an icy cave. There, due to an amusing encounter with an angry fisherman, she became separated from her Espeon.

Tamao felt like clutching to her chest, watching eagerly as the girl searched for her beloved pokémon. The girl was shivering in the cold, with her skin in goosebumps. She really should have worn something warmer than a summer dress. It was even snowing in the place? Poor, poor girl.

_I'm taking you out of the equation._

The girl continued her desperate search. Several things happened around her. People tried to challenge her into battles, but she kindly declined. Wild pokémon were playing in the newly snowed snow, but she ignored them. A weird, oddly familiar looking angry blue-haired girl stomped by her, but neither of them paid the other any attention.

Tamao sighed. All the girl wanted to do was find her dear, missing pokémon. What was keeping her from doing it? It was so heartbreaking. If she was separated form her pokémon like that, she'd be heartbroken. But the girl seemed brave – instead of falling into despair, she just kept on going, looking for Espeon. It was rather inspiring to watch. Tamao hoped she was as strong as the girl, too – right now, she wasn't quite sure what she was like. But that was a minor detail; who cared about her, when there was such drama going on in front of her eyes?

_I'm taking you out of the equation._

The split second her attention was caught up by the repeating sentence, Tamao missed the scene changing. When she looked again, she could finally sigh in relief. The girl had finally found her dear Espeon, and was embracing it tightly. Tamao felt happy for her. Whoever she was, she had managed to conquer a very unpleasant obstacle on her way. What a brave girl she was.

Tamao had become quite sure she knew this girl. She had to, since she could relate to her so well. The Espeon seemed awfully familiar too – all too familiar for her not to actually know it. No, there was something there. She most certainly knew who this girl was. It was obvious. She was someone she knew very well. If anyone would've asked, she could easily have told them anything about her. Surely it was so.

_I'm taking you out of the equation._

_I'm taking you out of the equation._

_I'm taking you out of… what is her name?_

Her name? The girl's name? Oh, that was it! She needed a name! But what could it be? She didn't recall hearing it, not even once. As she stared at her face, her pretty green eyes, her entire being, nothing came to her mind. But that was no good. She needed a name, she needed it quick. So Tamao thought quickly, scanned her blurry mind for a name. It needed to be a good name, a name the girl could be proud of. Something that'd be as strong as she was.

_What is her name?_

In despair, Tamao chose the first name that came to her mind. It was a good name, so she wasn't worried.

_What is her name?_

" Satsuki!" gasped Tamao, realizing that talking felt hard in this dream. But all was good, since she had managed to say a name. Even though it wasn't actually the name of this girl, it'd be fine. It was a good name. Tamao wondered whom it actually belonged to. Someone she knew…? She couldn't quite remember. The dream didn't want her to.

_Satsuki? Is that her name?_

" Yes", sighed Tamao. It was the girl's name. It felt right. She saw it now; the dream wanted her to.

_Then, what is your name?_

The question threw her completely off. She had absolutely no idea how to answer that. What was she supposed to say? Her head felt empty… But she couldn't just ignore it. The dream wanted her to answer. Answer quickly, and answer right.

" Err… Satsuki?" she asked, unsure. Right now, it was the only name she could think of.

However, in the instant it came out of her mouth, it felt good. It felt right. It was a strong name, so… Maybe she'd be strong too. Yes. She felt good. The dream seemed to want her to; it felt like it was smiling at her approvingly.

_Yes, that's good. Now, I'll take you out of the equation._


End file.
